Compass No. 533 May 2019

Do you have a Fitbit or a pedometer app on your smartphone? If so, how many steps do you take a day? What’s your personal best step count? What’s your average over a normal week? Fitness tracking technology gives us a great opportunity to improve our health and wellbeing, but what does it take to improve and develop our relationship with God?

It’s amazing how sedentary our daily lives can be and how quickly the steps can add up when we move around to meet people and do various activities in different locations. Walking is good for our bodies, for our minds and for our souls. When I have a disagreement with someone and replay it in my mind, I often find it useful to go for a walk. A good walk can clear our minds and help put things in perspective. Walking is also good for the soul. When we care for our bodies and minds, we are in a better place to care for our souls as we step outside of ourselves, learn to empathise with others and connect with God and what Jesus has done for us.

Breathing, walking and praying have been practices of different religious traditions for thousands of years. At Pacific, part of our culture as a College is learning and growing not only the mind and body, but also the soul. We use spiritual practices like the labyrinth to encourage students and staff to slow down, practice the pause, breathe, walk, pray, reflect, contemplate and meditate. The labyrinth is often described as a walking meditation or prayer. 

This week as we continue to focus on the value of justice, it is pertinent to ponder the simple act of walking. For many people with a Fitbit, the aim is to walk 10,000 steps (roughly 6km) each day. This is the same figure that many people in the developing world walk each day for one of the bare necessities of life, obtaining their daily water. We have such great opportunities in our society to improve our health and wellbeing, but the Old Testament prophet Micah reminds us that to act justly we need to walk humbly with God. It involves growing spiritually, as we think of the other, and relate with justice to God and the needs of the world.

An initiative that literally links justice issues with walking is the Australian Lutheran World Service’s ‘Walk My Way’ event. On Sunday 4^th August, members of our College community are invited to walk from Good Shepherd Lutheran College, Noosaville to Luther Heights Youth Camp at Coolum, a distance of 25kms. The purpose of this walk is to support the education of children in African Refugee Camps. If you are interested in walking humbly with God and acting justly for others in our world and perhaps growing spiritually in the process, visit the following webpage for more information: https://walkmyway.org.au/.

Pastor Tim Jarick, College Pastor

Although it feels as though Term 2 has only just begun, it won’t be long until the assessment part of the semester is upon us.

Students have a range of extra commitments (sports, musical production, part-time jobs) both at the College and at home that can often delay the start of exam preparation. It is therefore essential that all students, particularly those in the Senior College, begin preparations as early as possible and set in place good study routines and habits. All Pastoral Care Groups have conducted academic and pastoral discussions with students and, along with involvement in the recent parent teacher conferences, students have formed a plan to move forward and achieve their academic goals. Pacific has a range of support systems for students to access if needed. We encourage students to make early contact with their class teachers, PCG teachers, Heads of House, Ms Sue Arahill (Senior College), Mrs Rae Hall (Middle College), Mr Ben Ryan or myself if they need any assistance.

We wish students all the very best for their exam preparations and assessments.

With the change in temperature, comes a change in the College uniform. Parents and students are reminded that formal uniform items are to be worn with the formal uniform and sports uniform items are to be worn with the sports uniform. There should be no mixing of one set of uniform with the other, in particular sports jackets and formal jumpers or sports hats and formal hats. Senior College students are to be wearing their blazers to and from school each day and all boys need to be wearing ties throughout the day.

A reminder that for girls, make-up of any form should not be worn to school and normal jewellery expectations as per the handbook still apply. For all students, hats still need to be worn (on heads) to and from school and at all classroom breaks.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the College for clarification or refer to the Student and Parent Handbooks.

God bless.

Mr Mark Hauser, Head of Senior College Students

Casual Clothes Day The College is holding a casual clothes day next Tuesday 21st May in support of the Salvation Army’s Red Shield Appeal. Students are requested to make a $2 donation. As winter nears, the Salvation Army and other charities report record numbers of requests for assistance within our local community.

Under Eights Week is an initiative of Early Childhood Australia and has been celebrated for more than 60 years. The theme this year is: Celebrating the diversity of languages within the home, culture and community. At Pacific, our Kindy to Year 2 students will celebrate Under Eights Week on Thursday 30th May, from 9.00am to 10.00am. The day will be a casual clothes day for these students as they have the opportunity to participate in a colour fun run as part of their celebrations. A flyer providing further details will be forwarded home to parents next week.

There are so many different opinions offered on how best to parent. New parents will often have firm beliefs about how they wish to balance love and discipline, but this often goes out the window when a toddler throws their first tantrum in the supermarket!

In the latest SchoolTV Special Report, parents and caregivers can gain a greater understanding of the four defined parenting styles by taking part in a quiz. It can guide parents towards deciding which style they wish to adopt and the effects it may have on their children.

To learn more and take the quiz, visit: //pacificlutheran.qld.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-parenting-styles.

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

Following on from Mr David Druery’s article above, the latest SchoolTV Special Report is an important resource for parents and caregivers. Raising children can bring parents and caregivers great joy, despite many learning ‘on the job’ and growing into the role through experience and understanding. Children will always flourish in a warm and loving environment, supported by clear guidance.

To learn more and take the parenting styles quiz, visit: //pacificlutheran.qld.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-parenting-styles.

Pacific and IBN Private Golf Day – Sunday 9^th June

We’re in for a very interesting day of golf with teams such as The Bogeymen, Old Far Cars, The Birdie Boys and The Eagles, just to name a few!

There’s still time to get a team together and join the fun. We'd love to see a team of four from each year level, so please share the event with your class/year level and encourage maximum participation. If you are interested but don’t yet have a team, please contact us so we can place you in one.

Click here to download the Registration Form. The registration fee includes a cart, brunch and a meal at the 19th. It will be a whole lot of fun, so gather your team together now! Plus…look out for entertaining activities on various holes from our sponsors:

We also have some fantastic prizes in our Golf Day Raffle including a BBQ, a photo package and a travel prize! If your business would like to be involved in sponsoring a hole or donating a raffle prize, please contact our Golf Day organiser, Mrs Erin Carter, at: fop@pacluth.qld.edu.au.

Pacific is participating in the Woolworths Earn & Learn program again this year. From Wednesday 1^st May until Tuesday 25^th June, when you shop at Woolworths you can collect Woolworths Earn & Learn Stickers and place them on a Woolworths Earn & Learn sticker sheet. Shoppers receiver one sticker for every $10 spent. Completed sticker sheets can be placed in the collection boxes at the P-5 Student Administration, the Wellbeing Centre, outside the Prep rooms and the Library. You can also place them in the Pacific box at Woolworths Currimundi, Caloundra and Buddina.

Each Prep – Year 5 student will have recently received a sticker sheet. Year 6-12 students and families can print off a sticker sheet at: https://d4iqe7beda780.cloudfront.net/resources/site/wr/files/earnlearn19-printable-sticker-sheets.pdf.

Friends of Pacific Facebook Page

Thank you to the many parents, students and community members who have liked the new Friends of Pacific Facebook page! As Friends of Pacific play a central role in connecting our College community, our Facebook page will aid communication regarding events and social activities. You can follow and join the Friends of Pacific journey via the flowing link: Friends of Pacific Facebook page.

Mrs Jenny Lee, FoP Chairperson

We’ve had some busy lunchtimes in the library celebrating Mother’s Day and Cinco de Mayo over the last couple of weeks. To tie in with these themes, our ‘Make and Take’ crafts were lavender sachets and maracas. Our Celebrity Readers were Mrs Leah Croke and Mr Steven Healy who each had a most enthusiastic audience. Coming up next, we will be acknowledging Reconciliation Week and then National Simultaneous Storytime will be celebrated when our amazing library alpacas make their debut at the Junior College Assembly on Monday 27^th May.

Ms Sue Warren, Teacher Librarian

Kids in Action!

This year in Year 5, we have formed a group of 25 Champions for Change, who are passionate about protecting our environment, supporting sustainable practises and are attempting to create change within their own environment. To further their passion, we joined the Sunshine Coast Council’s Kids in Action initiative, which is currently in its eighth year.  Kids in Action is a hands-on and engaging environmental education program where kids become the teachers! Participating schools are supported by Sunshine Coast Council to undertake an environmental project in their school or community. They then present their project at a kids-teaching-kids conference.

Last Friday 10^th May, an Immersion Day was held for students with the theme, ‘Connecting to Country’. Mrs Lu Pollard, Mrs Pia Foxlow and our 25 young, passionate Champions for Change set off to learn more about their local environment from the first custodians of this land, our local Kabi Kabi, Gubbi Gubbi and Jindera tribes’ people.

Our first stop was Happy Valley, where we were mesmerised by Zeke telling tales of the mullet hunts of times past. He delighted us with the dance that tribe folk did for hours to call upon the mullet pods and drive in the schools of fish. We learnt of the trees and their purpose and the birds and their messages.

Our next stop was the Bora Rings of Beerwah, where boys and girls went for up to three months at a time, only to return to their families as men and women. We were amazed by the tales of transition and growth over this period, where the children were not permitted to speak a word for the duration of their separation. Lastly, we arrived at the Brannoch Reserve, where we met with students from 26 other schools across the Sunshine Coast. We watched an opening ceremony before we traversed into the bushland and took part in nine different activities from rope making and spear throwing to stone knapping and land management. The day was full of respect and mindfulness as we learnt more about our local environment, our connection to country and the importance of protecting this land for the future. Stay tuned as our champions set forth to participate in the Kids in Action Conference in September. In the meantime, they have commenced the STARS program with the Sunshine Coast Council and with the help of Prep H and Year 4E, are trying to create a clear picture of our carbon footprint, through a waste audit. More information regarding this will follow.

Containers for Change

Our students are continuing to champion for change by collecting and collating data on our container collection across the Junior College. Every week, this group of passionate environmentalists collect our green wheelies, empty, sort and clean out the contents and make the most of our waste. So far this year, we have raised $500 for a Junior College water bubbler!

We will accept recyclable container donations (except glass bottles) from sporting events, social events or home habits! Just bring them to school and place them into the green wheelie bins located outside each year group. Alternatively, families are welcome to take their containers directly to ‘Return It’ (Mark Street, off Caloundra Road) and use the Pacific pin: C10026221.

Mrs Lu Pollard, Year 5 Teacher

It is with great pleasure that we welcome Mrs Natalie Campbell to the Pacific Duke of Edinburgh team. Mrs Campbell will provide administration support and ensure the program has a continuous presence at the College whilst I am away for the various Outdoor Education camps.

Located in the Sports Admin Office (adjacent to the tuckshop), Mrs Campbell and I are available at any time to ensure our Duke of Edinburgh Awardees have a clear and distinctive reference point to support their journey within this rewarding program.

We look forward to assisting our students through their Duke of Edinburgh pathway and supporting their development through the Award.

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