Compass No. 555 November 2019

As our Pacific community farewells the Years 12 cohort this week, here is a blessing which will be used in their Final Chapel. It is a non-traditional paradox blessing created by a Benedictine Nun, Sister Ruth Fox as she farewelled students in her Catholic school. It is a prayer of blessing for our graduating class of 2019 as they continue their journey through life in God’s grace.

Pastor Tim Jarick, College Pastor

Throughout the week, the College has joined together to celebrate the journey of our Year 12 students as they prepared for their graduation from Pacific. Although we celebrate with joy at their completion of studies, it is also a sad time as their energy, vibrancy and humour will be missed by all. We thank the graduating class of 2019 for their contribution to the College throughout their time here and wish them all the very best for their life beyond the Pacific walls. Even though we farewell them, as Pacific Lutheran College alumni they will always be a part of the College and we hope to remain connected with all students. A particular thank you to our 2019 College Captains Michael Hewitt, Rebekah Pierce and Vice Captains Jackson Laverick, Georgia Harle, Joseph Higginson and Stephanie Keenan for their ongoing service to the College and leadership throughout the year. Well done and God bless.

With the graduation of the 2019 Year 12 cohort this week, the Year 11 students now begin their final studies as they start preparation for Year 12 work under the new curriculum. After undertaking a demanding block-exam schedule last week, it was great to hear stories of success and deep learning from the experience. We pray that all current Year 11 students finish the rest of the year strongly and I look forward to working closely with them in 2020 as they enter their final year at the school.

This weekend, we welcome back Holly Ubrihien and Alex Jose as they return from their six-week exchange experience at Seishin Gakuen in Japan. Alex and Holly have learned much throughout their time in Japan and we look forward to hearing their stories of their time overseas.

Next week our Year 10 students will also begin their exam block for the semester. We pray that all students have used their time to prepare themselves well for their assessment. Please note that standard uniform expectations still apply to students during this time.

We wish all students the very best over the last two and a half weeks of the school year.

Mr Mark Hauser, Head of Senior College Students

On Tuesday this week, Year 4-6 students attended their end of year Sports Awards. Congratulations to all those students who received recognition for participation and achievements in various sports throughout the year. Special guest Olympic swimmer Jake Packard spoke passionately about his career, success and how to be resilient. Thank you to both Mr Darren Hooper and Mrs Natalie Campbell for organising the event. A special thank you also to Mr Darren Hooper for his direction and organisation of Year 4-6 sport at the College and to Mrs Natalie Campbell for her administrative support of Years 4-6 sport throughout the year.

Prep – Year 2 swimming lessons commence next week with sessions on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. If your child is attending swimming early in the day, please ensure they are at the College by 8.30am as the bus will be departing with the first group of students at 8.35am. Students should arrive at the College in their swimmers with sunscreen already applied (sunscreen will also be available at the College for students to use). Students with long hair should wear a cap to keep hair out of their eyes.

As the weather continues to warm, a number of students are presenting to school each day without hats. During breaks students need to wear a hat or they are required to stay out of the sun. Students should also wear their hats when travelling to and from the College.

On Friday 29^th November the annual Carols Concert will be held on the College grounds, commencing from 5.00pm. Food will be available after the concert. A flyer providing further details will be sent home next week.

On Monday 2^nd December, the Prep – Year 5 Closing Service will be held in the College gym, commencing at 9.00am. At the service, Academic Excellence and Endeavour awards will be presented to students in Years 3-5. The service also marks an important transition for Year 5 students who move to Middle College next year. All parents and family members are most welcome at this important event. An invitation with further details will be sent home next week. 

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

Parenting is certainly one of the most rewarding aspects of life. With children lies the future of humanity and therefore, if we are able to raise great children, we are going to establish the foundation for a great future. Here are 10 things we can do to raise extraordinary human beings, who recognise their own strengths and know how to use them: http://www.heysigmund.com/.

Mrs Annie Williams, College Counsellor

Recycle, Refill and Rejoice

After students identified the need for further chilled water refill stations at the College, Friends of Pacific and the Year 5 Champions for Change worked in collaboration throughout the year to fundraise. We now have two additional water refill stations installed – one next to the Year 4 block and another near the Gym. We thank Mrs Lu Pollard and the Champions for Change team for working hard with their Containers for Change program and promoting sustainable practices within our College community. Two of our Champions for Change, Mia and Emma, have shared a reflection below.

“At Pacific this year, the Champions for Change have been persisting to achieve a water bubbler, by collecting 10 cent bottles. Over the course of the year we have returned more than 10,000 water bottles, poppers, flavoured milk and soft drink cans. We were very thrilled to come back from school holidays this term and see two new water refill stations had been installed. We have had so much fun collecting bottles and teaching the primary school how to sort and clean the bottles. We are excited for the future and next year, we hope to bring our passion and hard work to the Middle and Senior College. If you would like to bring some containers to help us, next week we are holding recycling week, which will be filled with different activities and we will happily return your containers for you!”

Junior College Christmas Carols BBQ

We are next looking forward to assisting at the Junior College Christmas Carols on Friday 29^th November by hosting a BBQ from 4.15pm – 6.30pm. If Middle and Senior College helpers (Year 6-12 students) and parents are able to assist at this event, it will enable junior parents to fully enjoy the concert. Please contact Mrs Jenny Lee on fop@pacluth.qld.edu.au if you are able to help with the following:

• Set up (2.00pm – 3.00pm)
• Serving (4.00pm – 6.30pm)
• Pack up (6.30pm – 7.00pm)

Next Meeting

The Friends of Pacific Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Tuesday 19^th November at 6.30pm in the College Boardroom. We encourage you to consider supporting Friends of Pacific by nominating or expressing your interest for the 2020 volunteer committee. It’s a wonderful way to connect with fellow parents and staff, learn more about what is happening on campus and support events that bring much joy to our student body. The AGM nomination form is available here.

The next Friends of Pacific General Meeting will also be held at the College on Tuesday 19^th November, commencing straight after the AGM. Please join us for Christmas drinks afterwards.

Mrs Jenny Lee, FoP Chairperson

The library may be in the throes of exciting renovations but our library program stops for nothing! In the past few weeks our dedicated crafters have decorated sugar skull treat boxes for Dia de los Muertes (Day of the Dead) and are getting into the Christmas spirit already with some very cute elf decorations.

We celebrated International Games Week with some traditional yard games including croquet, quoits, hopscotch, elastics, marbles and jacks. These were all a big hit with our Middle College students who enjoyed learning new activities – the marble competition was quite fierce.

Prep students had great fun creating chalk gardens following our shared reading of the book Florette. There are some great little artists coming up through our ranks!

Finally, a big congratulations to Joshua Cockburn of 3H for completing our Semester 2 Reading Challenge. Josh has powered through an interesting and varied range of books so, well done!

Ms Sue Warren, Teacher Librarian

Last Friday evening, the Music Department held their end of semester Ensembles Concert at the Sunshine Coast Events Centre. The concert showcased performances by the Jazz Ensemble, Senior Strings Ensemble, Junior Strings Ensemble, Middle College Rock Band, Pacific Senior Voices, Junior Concert Band, Senior Concert Band and The Pacific Orchestra. The Music Department could not be prouder of the growth and improvement of all of the musicians and ensembles. The night was a roaring success and left the audiences wanting more.

Thank you to Mark and his team at Shake it Up Music for their support with the sound on the night. Thank you also to Dan Salmon who was the MC for the evening and Lindsay Macdonald-Clow for accompanying the groups.

Over the past week, several of our music students auditioned for and were accepted into the Sunshine Coast Youth Orchestra. Congratulations to the following students:

• Elizabeth Wegener
• Sarah Lacey
• Sophia Smith
• Jada Baker
• Thomas Wegener
• Danica Cockburn
• Elena Butler
• Freya Mulholland
• Rachel Monroe
• Kate Monroe
• Gabriel Taverner
• Lachlan Eden
• Eden Williams
• Sebastian Box
• Ruby Smith
• Sophie Wilkinson

Mrs Helen Williams, Head of Instrumental Music

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.

This year the Uniform shop will be closing for stocktake on Tuesday 26^th November. Please ensure that, if you are in Year 9, that you have purchased your blazer, tie and trousers (for male students) and blazer and senior tie (for female students) before this date. 

If your student is commencing Year 1 in 2020, please see the below pictures for formal uniform requirements. All of these items are available in the Uniform Shop. Formal shoes for Year 1 are black leather lace ups. Skate shoes, high tops and Mary-Jane style shoes are not part of the uniform.

If your student is commencing Year 6 in 2020, please see the below pictures for formal uniform requirements. Year 6 students require a formal hat to be worn with their formal uniform. The bucket hat continues to be worn with their sports uniform. All of these items are available for purchase in the Uniform Shop. Formal Shoes are black leather lace ups. Skate shoes, high tops and Mary-Jane style shoes are not part of the uniform.

As the new year is always busy with new students, existing families are encouraged to make their purchases before the end of this term. Swimming trials are also in the first couple of weeks of school resuming next and all students in Year 3-12 are required to have school swimwear (or approved race swimwear) for both the trials and carnival. It is advisable to try swimwear on to get the correct fit. A full range of sizes will be in store from the beginning of November for both styles.

The Uniform Shop will be reopening on Monday 20^th January 2020 for new student fittings. For appointments, please contact the Main Reception on 5436 7300.

Mrs Peta King, Uniform Shop Convenor

Sunday Worship Times St Mark’s Church @ Pacific 9.30am Pacific Lutheran College (Entry via Red Cedar Drive, Meridan Plains) Google Maps St Mark's Lutheran @ Pacific   Are you looking for a friendly church where young people, old people, children, families and singles are appreciated, empowered and encouraged to grow as Christians? Everyone is welcome! Get in touch: Pastor Ray Morris 0429 856 532 ray.morris@lca.org.au www.stmarkslutherancaloundra.net

Pastor Ray, St Mark's Lutheran Church

The LLL has a variety of savings accounts: personal and joint accounts; guardian accounts for children; and Business accounts, including self-managed super funds and not-for-profit organisations.

LLL Savings Accounts have many features, including:

• A great interest rate;
• No fees or charges at all;
• Internet banking;
• No minimum balance or deposit requirements;
• No ‘bonus’ interest hurdles; and
• Your money is available to withdraw at any time.

For further information regarding the LLL, visit the College’s Business Office or www.lll.org.au.

For those families who wish to enter a laptop agreement through the College please ensure your nomination form is returned no later than Friday the 15^th of November. Devices ordered after this date may not arrive before the start of school next year. Information regarding the device leasing agreement can be found here and a copy of the nomination form can be found here. 

Mr Steven Rattey, IT Manager