Compass No. 509 September 2018

“I’m as hungry as a horse”. “If I’ve told you once I’ve told you a million times, clean up your room!”. “You’re going on camp and you’ve packed everything in your bag except the kitchen sink.” Hyperbole. That is what you call these statements. They are creative figures of speech which involve deliberate and at times extreme exaggeration. And hyperbole is what Jesus uses here in this statement to his disciples; I tell you, it is harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.

A rich young man comes to Jesus with a serious question about what he needs to do to receive eternal life. Jesus responds to him by recommending that he sells everything he owns, give the money away and come follow him. The rich man goes away from the encounter very sad and Jesus breaks into hyperbole with his disciples. He uses the image of the biggest animal of the day trying to fit through something so small as the hole at the end of a needle, something notoriously tricky to thread. Jesus uses this humourous hyperbolic figure of speech to make a point. I’m sure his disciples would have laughed when they heard this talk of camels and needles. Humour in the Bible, something we don’t always pick up when we read passages or hear them read today. But something I’m sure Jesus had a healthy dose of when he knocked around with his disciples.  

Jesus used that creative hyperbole to make the point that the riches, money, possessions in our lives can easily stop us from following God. They can easily get in the way of entering the kingdom of God, like that camel which is never going to fit through the needle. In our relatively wealthy society how do we respond to this challenge of Jesus? God has given us our possessions, wealth and money to care for the people entrusted to us, to use for our blessing and to serve others who don’t have as much as we do. We don’t need to renounce all worldly possessions to follow God. What we need to do though is put our faith in Jesus rather than place our security in what we own. This is a huge challenge for people. Wholeheartedly trusting in the power of God to achieve great things in life rather than our own efforts, assets and material possessions. But as Jesus said to his disciples with humans it might seem impossible. But with God all things are possible.

Pastor Tim Jarick, College Pastor 

Thanks to the many parents and family members who attended the P-2 Athletics Carnival last Monday.  The children participated enthusiastically in all events and cheered loudly for their houses. A special thanks to Mr Hooper and Mrs Campbell for coordinating the event and to all P-2 classroom teachers for supervising and encouraging their students during the carnival.

With Father’s Day being celebrated only last weekend and the holidays just around the corner, it is an ideal time to focus on how dads can help develop their children’s literacy. Research clearly shows that dads play a critical role in their children's literacy development and levels of academic performance — by modelling reading, sharing stories, exploring the world together, and engaging in meaningful conversations that build critical thinking skills. Boys in particular respond to positive modelling by older males. A few tips to encourage dads to read to their children;

Ed Extras: Pre-K

Helpful information about learning brought to you by Reading Rockets, Colorín Colorado, and LD OnLine

The role of fathers in their child's literacy development: Pre-K

Dads play a critical role in their children's literacy development — by modelling reading, sharing stories, exploring the world together, and engaging in meaningful conversations that build critical thinking skills.

What should I read?

Children will respond to your enthusiasm. You can select age appropriate nonfiction – books about famous people, places, or how things work, or fiction. The important part is that you are enthusiastic about the book. Read slowly, talk about what you read.

What if I’m not with my child every day?

If you don’t see your child each day, try arranging a regular time to read books over the phone, or create your own podcast! Your child will look forward to this individual time with you, and you will also be modelling behaviour that will keep your child on a path toward improved levels of learning.

What if I don’t like reading?

Even if you’re not a reader yourself, research has shown that your participation in literacy activities at home, can have a profound impact on your child’s academic achievement. You just have to send the message that reading is important. Here are some other simple ways to incorporate literacy into your everyday routine with your child.

• Tell stories about when you were young
• Recite nursery rhymes or jingles
• Read environmental print (e.g., road signs or brand names on food containers)
• Ask your child about his day. Conversation with adults helps children learn new words and practice creating a narrative – both linked to better reading skills.
• Check out books of photography or art and talk about the pictures
• When you are doing household projects, describe what you are doing to your child
• Involve your child in everyday writing tasks like shopping lists or paying bills
• Create games that use letters, words, or problem solving

Use the language you are most comfortable speaking. Reading skills transfer between languages, and you will be better at playing with words and language in your native tongue.

Walk the Walk

Your child learns from what you do. Make sure the messages you are sending about reading reinforce that knowledge and literacy are valuable, achievable, and powerful.

For more information on reading with your child, visit:

www.ReadingRockets.org/article/c442/

Year 5 Camp 

A reminder to parents of Year 5 students that medical and permission forms for the Year 5 camp need to be returned to your child’s teacher.  Students depart for Year 5 camp on Tuesday 9^th October (Week 1 Term 4).

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

Our Aloha Raffle is one of the most significant components of OCEANfest. Most of the prizes are donated by generous, local Sunshine Coast businesses. We also thank the many PLC families who supported OCEANfest 2018 by buying and/or selling tickets in the raffle. There are however, still a small number of families who have not yet returned their unsold raffle ticket books. We cordially ask you to please return these books to the main office as soon as possible.  

We congratulate the following families who have won ancillary prizes through buying and selling tickets:

RAFFLE BOOK SELLERS PRIZES

(For the PLC families who sold the highest number of Raffle Books by 5pm Thursday August 16th, 2018)

1st Place WINNER - B. Vergens-White

$150 WEARECO PLC Uniform Shop Gift Voucher PLUS

Aloha Family Gift Pack with Double Pass to Thrill Hill

Family of 4 Caloundra Rollerdrome Pass

$50 ‘The Grill’ Restaurant voucher Sebel Pelican Waters.

2nd Place WINNER - R. Williams

$100 WEARECO PLC Uniform Shop Gift Voucher PLUS Aloha Family Gift Pack.

3rd Place WINNERS (Tie) - B. Zolotar, E. Maclean and W. Fowler

$50 WEARECO PLC Uniform Shop Gift Voucher Plus Aloha Family Gift Pack

LUCKY BOOK Buyers and Sellers Prize Draw

1st - M. Briese 

Lunch for two at La Maison du Patissier owned by Eric and Francoise PLUS a bottle of French Champagne valued at $90

2nd - H. King

Rebel Sport Gift Card valued at $50

3rd - B. Vergens-White

Apple iTunes Gift Card valued at $30 and 20 litre Drinks Cooler

4th - J. Groll

BBQ Gift Pack

5th - T. Easton

Cook Book Gift Pack

OCEANfest CURRENCY REFUND Raffle Prize Draw

1st - C. Wegener

Kiss Photography Designer Portrait Sitting

Handmade LOL Doll Keepsake

 

 

 

2nd - H. Fowler

Family Set of Napoli Soccer Jerseys from KAPPA Australia

3rd - W. Fowler

$50 ‘The Grill’ Restaurant voucher Sebel Pelican Waters

4th D.W

$20 iTunes gift card

Next Meeting: Tuesday 18 September

Our next Friends of Pacific meeting will be held on Tuesday 18 September from 6.30pm in the College Library. All are welcome to attend!

Mrs Jenny Lee, FoP Chairperson

We congratulate one of our Year 11 students - Stephanie Keenan, for her selection to attend the prestigious National Youth Science Forum in January next year. As part of this selection, she will be attending the Queensland Governor’s Reception on 19^th October 2018. 

Stephanie is one of our high achieving Science students and it is here that she will meet like-minded others for Australia’s biggest Science Camp.  At NYSF the goal is to expose every student to the widest possible range of Science, Technology and Engineering so that they can make informed choices about not only their own futures, but the future of our country.  They form an important part of the next generation of knowledgeable scientists.  We will be relying upon them to invent new medicines, design more efficient technology for solar panels, use nanotechnology to design a cable strong enough to hold a space elevator (yes, believe it or not) and solve the current problems we have including an impending sea level rise by over 1.1 meters by the turn of the century. 

NYSF has been operating for over 30 years and its aim is to encourage young Australians to be the next generation of leading scientists, engineers and mathematics experts supporting a sustainable future for our nation.  The National Youth Science Forum is a 12-day experience held in Canberra and Brisbane in January of each year. The mission of NYSF is to provide community minded and science-focused young Australians with an opportunity to network and develop insight into skills, careers and a lifetime of achievement in science, engineering, technology and mathematics.  Stephanie is certainly looking forward to being a part of this fabulous journey.

Miss Rebecca Ross, Head of Science

Vacation Care is nearly here. We have a jam-packed fun filled program planned for these upcoming school holidays. Anyone can come and join in all the fun we have. If you have family and friends why not tell them and you can all enjoy the fun together. We have some exciting excursions planned – going to the Rollerdrome and going to the strawberry farm and learning all about how strawberries get from the farm to our mouths. We all will be going Nerf crazy with our Nerf Extravaganza day.  Plus we will have the opportunity to experience camping in our very own OSHC yard. All program and booking forms are available on the College website or drop in to see Nat and the team at OSHC for more information. So, what are you waiting for? Come on in and join in the fun.

Mrs Natalie Sorbello, Educational Leader

A group of Year 12 students heard from various guest speakers this week regarding the transition to post-school options, learning about the various pathways for further study, apprenticeships and traineeships, applying for jobs, volunteering opportunities and understanding rental agreements when moving out of home. The students also completed service learning, cooking meals for the homeless which Pastor Tim will deliver on their behalf later this week. Pacific would like to thank Rebecca from EastCoast Apprenticeships, Will from TAFE QLD, Lily from Volunteering Sunshine Coast and Brandi from McGrath Real Estate for their time in working with our senior students.

[Pic One: Brandi Wilson from McGrath Real Estate – rental rights and responsibilities Pic Two: Service Learning at Pacific]

Mrs Natasha Purcell, Careers Counsellor

Team	COACH	Opposition	Score	Winner	MVP
Junior Girls	Mr Hooper	SAAC	3-3	DRAW	Jasminder Daley
Junior Boys	Mr Cummins	SAAC	4-9	SAAC	Cooper Johnston
Senior Boys	Ms Danzey	SAAC	4-3	PLC	Ethan Hall
Senior Girls	Ms Finter	SAAC	1-11	SAAC	Caley Williams

Mr Brett Kersnovske, Head of Sport

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

Calling all parents, grandparents and friends of the Pacific community! If you can volunteer for only 45 minutes, (from 12.45 to 1.30pm) then we'd love to hear from you! We have volunteer positions available to serve at the front counter.  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

3                                                P-2 Athletic Carnival (8.50-10.30am)

4 - 5                                          QCS Test

10                                              Yrs 4-6 SCISSA Training (3.15-4.15pm)

10 - 21                                      Yr 9 Two Week Camp Program

11 - 12                                       10-19yrs Regional Athletics

13                                             Yrs 4-6 SCISSA Gala Day 3