Compass No. 595 January 2021

From the Principal

Coming Together As Community

There was an air of excitement yesterday as students and parents entered the College. Young people were looking forward to connecting with each other and to engage with their next level of learning. Parents enjoyed the freedom to be able to come onto campus. Small things make a difference in how we experience community. Within community there is a common purpose and a common identity. We each are enriched by and have a responsibility to extend a warm welcome. Our common purpose is to take every opportunity to enhance our gifts so that we can enhance our life, the life of others and the environment.

God’s command of love your neighbour as yourself has a two fold message. We are to learn to love ourselves and our neighbour. In loving ourselves, we explore and extend ourselves in connection to others and the world in which we live including our environment. We take on the responsibility to grow to be our best selves so that we can live life abundantly and enrich the lives of others and the planet. Loving our neighbour involves caring for all people within and beyond our community. Small gifts of welcome and inclusion are a great way to start. We live life most richly where there is an atmosphere of ‘everyone is welcome’ flowing around us. This is God’s welcome to us. Everyone is welcome. He invites us to come and grow in and with Him.

Principal's Log

It has been great to see everyone returning to the community over the past week and to feel the energy of anticipation and excitement as students and families formally returned yesterday. We welcome everyone to the 2021 school year and particularly our new staff, students and their families.

Changes made to our start of year last week were well received by our community. Orientation activities for Prep and new Year 6 and 7 students and appointments for continuing students to meet their teachers provided opportunity for connections to be made in a smaller, more relaxed setting. Last Friday the Year 6 and 7 students enjoyed meeting each other, engaging in Art, Drama, Food Technology and Science, connecting their laptops and learning more about the College. Our Prep students and their families also enjoyed the opportunity to come in on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon to meet their teachers, engage in activities together and begin to feel more at home in their new learning space. We thank our teachers, parents and students, including current students who volunteered, for supporting these activities so well.

Year 6-12 families are reminded about our Commencement Service this evening (Thursday 28^th January) from 6.30pm at The Events Centre, Caloundra. All Year 6-12 students are to arrive at 6.00pm in their formal uniform. Adults are encouraged to wear a mask as they enter and exit the venue. Adults attending will need to have preregistered and will have pre-allocated seats in line with the COVID safe plan of the venue. Students who are unable to attend should have already sent an apology to their Head of House.

The Prep – Year 5 Commencement Service will be held tomorrow morning (Friday 29^th January) at College with only Year 3, 4 and 5 students and Year 5 parents present. Year 5 parents should have preregistered or will be required to sign in via QR code on entry. Parents are reminded to maintain social distancing, sanitise on entry and remain seated for the duration of the service.

We look forward to our New Families Welcome Breakfast tomorrow morning at 7.00am in the Music Courtyard. This is restricted to new families who should have preregistered online earlier this week. On entry, families will be required to register adults who are in attendance using the QR code if they have not preregistered.

We look forward to our Year 6-9 Information Evening next Monday night, our Year 11 Information Evening on Tuesday night and our Prep – Year 5 Information Evening next Wednesday night. All Information Evenings will start in the gym and families will register using a QR code on entry. Further details will be emailed directly to parents.

We wish our Year 7 students and staff all the best for their upcoming outdoor education experience next week. The experience provides the opportunity for students to learn new skills in the outdoors, grow in confidence and their understanding of themselves and connection with each other and teachers. We thank Head of Outdoor Education Ms Kim Wood for her organisation and leadership and the following staff for their assistance with facilitating the program; Mrs Leah Croke, Mr Alex O’Connor, Mr Andrew Block, Mrs Sharon Middleton, Mr Ben Ryan, Mr Brett Kersnovske, Mr Josh Danzey and Pastor Tim Jarick.

May God enrich and enable us as we come into community together.

Dr Bronwyn Dolling, Principal

From the College Pastor

Personal Power

In the first week of school there is a lot going on – commencement services, new teachers, timetables and subjects. As we gather for a new school year, we begin with the thread of ‘Personal Power’. Personal power is a large part of agency, one of the terms in our theme for 2021. At the centre of this thread is a verse from Philippians 4:13; I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. At the beginning of a new school year, do you find some relief, hope and comfort in these words? Please read them again. I can do ALL things through HIM who STRENGTHENS me.

When we start a school year and the work, assessments, schedules in front of us seem like a mountain too high to climb, things can seem daunting. Students, teachers, parents, employees and employers can all feel this at times. Life throws many challenges at us, none more so then when you are new to a school, workplace or community or when a whole new year of work lies ahead of you. Having a sense of perspective is invaluable. This thread of ‘personal power’ is about children and young people feeling a sense of control and learning to manage frustrations and challenges in ways that have positive results for them and others. We can’t always control the situations we are confronted with or what other people say and do but we can control how we react to those situations as well as our responses and actions towards other people.

Trusting our own abilities at these times is the crux of personal power. Growing in confidence to respond to the difficulties we face is needed. Having a wider perspective and a sense of self-regulation is important. Knowing that we do this together in community with the one who companions us gives us hope and courage. No matter what we face at school, at home or in life, we trust in the mercy and kindness of God who loves us. We can do all things through Him who strengths me, even in this first week of a new school year.

God bless you in this new school year!

Pastor Tim Jarick, College Pastor

From the Director of Students

For the Greater Good

I extend a warm welcome to all families as we commence the academic year. It is especially delightful to welcome all new students and their families as they join the Pacific Lutheran College community. It will be a pleasure to get to know you all as the year unfolds.

What a difference a year makes. I think it would be fascinating to be able to see the neural pattern changes that occurred as a result of the need for each of us to have adapted to the implications of COVID-19. Collectively we all accepted the roles we had to play in order for 2020 to be so successful. Indeed, at various times, and often, we exhibited many 21st century skills; creative and critical thinking, collaboration and the social and emotional skills to navigate the many challenges. Crucially, it was the God-given gifts that we all used, that allowed the Pacific community to continue to grow and thrive. It is my hope that in 2021 our young people discover, explore and use their gifts for the greater good of all.

Pastoral Care Groups (PCGs)

We return to a vertical pastoral care structure this year. Your child’s PCG teacher will be their first point of contact at the start of each morning and before they leave in the afternoon. The PCG teacher is a touchstone for families across a range of student formation and wellbeing issues. In most cases, they will therefore be yours and your child’s first contact should the need arise. The vertical nature of the PCG ensures that within, there is a real sense of family as deep connections are made.

High Expectations, High Support

Whilst this week may have proved slightly challenging for students as they reverted to setting alarms and getting into routines, it is important that as a community we are setting high expectations early on and maintaining these throughout the year. I encourage you all to explore and familiarise yourselves with the information contained within the parent handbook. In particular, draw your attention to the guidelines for uniform and mobile phone use. Your child is our priority and we will continue to provide high social, emotional, academic and spiritual support to them and you throughout the year.

Restorative Practices

We are a school that seeks to repair relationships between individuals when at times they become frayed. The intentional embedding of restorative practices at Pacific ensures that all students and staff are given the opportunity to be heard and be able to move forward when certain behaviours cause harm. This year I will regularly include information regarding restorative practice for the benefit of all our community.

Year 7 Camp

A reminder that the Year 7 students depart next Tuesday 2^nd February for their four day outdoor education experience. The theme of ‘connections’ superbly reinforces one of the main reasons for heading off so early in the year. This is a great time for the cohort to be building friendships as they develop a variety of new skills and grow those that they already possess. I thank Ms Kim Wood for her leadership of the program. We look forward to hearing their stories on return.

Mr Ben Ryan, Director of Students

From the Head of Staff and Students P-5

Welcome Back

Welcome to Pacific Lutheran College in 2021. It has been wonderful to witness the excitement and enthusiasm with which students have entered into the school year.

Upcoming Events

We look forward to officially beginning our school year with our Prep – Year 5 Commencement Service this Friday. Parents of Year 5 students have been invited to attend this event and we look forward to welcoming our wider community to our assemblies and chapel in the near future.

Next Wednesday 3^rd February, the Prep – Year 5 Parent Information Evening will be held. The night will commence at 5.00pm in the College Gym. Following a number of short introductory talks, parents will move to their child’s learning space where teachers will outline their programs for the year and their expectations in regards to homework, behaviour and assessment. As the learning journey at Pacific is shared, this evening provides an opportunity to make connections between staff, students and families. We encourage parents to attend the evening if you are able.

General Housekeeping

Communication with College Staff

Often parents need to communicate information to their child’s teachers regarding changes of routine and exemption from participation in sport, specialist lessons or activities due to injury or illness. To avoid confusion and to ensure students are where they are meant to be particularly at the end of the day, we ask that parents put all of these changes in writing. All teachers can be contacted by email. Students in Year 3-5 will also receive a student diary, which has space for notes of this nature.

Shared Food

As some restrictions remain in place, shared food for student birthdays (such as cupcakes) is unable to be brought onto campus and distributed. We understand that celebrating a birthday in an important milestone for a young child and as a College, we are working towards providing COVID safe options.

The tuckshop is in the process of developing a birthday pack that can be ordered online and delivered directly to your child’s learning space. Further information regarding this will be provided shortly. Food items from home will be sent home and not distributed at school.

Uniforms

A reminder that the College hat is an important element of the school uniform. 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.

Students in Years 1-5 may only wear their sports uniform to school on the days they have HPE. Years 4 and 5 students may also wear their HPE uniforms to school on Thursdays. There may also be occasions during the year when students are requested to wear their sports uniform to school for carnivals or excursions. On all other occasions, students should attend school in their formal uniform.

If for some reason your child is unable to wear the correct uniform to school, please send a note to your child’s class teacher. A uniform reminder letter will be forwarded to parents whose children are in the wrong uniform without a note.

Car Parks

A reminder to all parents and students that they are to use the appropriate car park at the beginning and at the end of the day. Prep – Year 2 students are able to use the front car park. Students across Years 3-12 are to use the senior drop off or car park at the western side of the College.

Chess Mates

Chess Mates classes help your child improve their concentration and problem-solving skills in a supportive learning environment. This year, Chess Mates will again operate classes for Pacific students after school.

Time: Tuesdays from 3.00pm – 3.45pm
Location: Year 4 Learning Spaces
Cost: $14 per session
Commencing in Week 3

Click here to download the flyer.

I look forward to working with you and wish you many blessings as you begin another year in our College community.

Mr Damian Davis, Head of Staff and Students P-5

Important Notices

Collection Notice – Department of Education, Skills and Employment

The Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment (the department) has requested Pacific Lutheran College to provide residential address and other information as required under the Australian Education Regulation 2013 (Cth).

The College is required to provide the department with the following information about each student at the school:

Names and residential addresses of students’ parent(s) and/or guardian(s)
Student residential address (excluding student names)
Whether the student is a primary or secondary student (education level)
Whether the student is boarding or a day student (boarding status).

For more information, please click here.

Mr Mike Healy, Business Manager

Year 7 and 10 Immunisations

The 2021 school based immunisation program will be offered to all Year 7 and 10 students at Pacific Lutheran College.

This year, the following vaccines are available through the program:

Year 7 students

(i)HPV – human papillomavirus (two doses)
(ii) dTpa – Diptheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (one dose)

Year 10 students

MENACWY – Meningococcal ACWY (one dose)

Consent forms will be sent home in Week 2 with further details. For further information please contact our program provider, Ozcare on 5413 8460.

Mrs Sharon Middleton and Mrs Maree Hooper, College Nurses

Food for Thought

Downtime and 'Slow' Parenting

A common stance taken by psychologist is that overloading kids with activities can sometimes interfere with their natural development. Often, one of the best things we can do as parents is just let our kids play freely more often. To learn more, click here.

Mrs Annie Williams, College Counsellor

Friends of Pacific

Connecting College and Community

New Families Welcome Breakfast

The New Families Welcome Breakfast is always a wonderful way to meet others who are beginning their journey at Pacific. It’s on this Friday 29^th January, in the College Music Courtyard, from 7.00am – 8.15am. Due to COVID restrictions, this event will be limited to families new to the College for 2021.

Join Us in 2021

We invite all current and new Pacific parents and staff to attend our general meeting and AGM on Tuesday 16^th February at 6.30pm. We encourage you to support Friends of Pacific by nominating or expressing your interest for the 2021 volunteer committee. It’s a fantastic opportunity to unite with our community, learn more about what is happening on campus and help out with events.

For any queries, please contact us via email: fop@pacluth.qld.edu.au.

Mrs Jenny Lee, Friends of Pacific Chairperson

Library News

Welcome to Your Library!

The library is open from 8.00am until 4.00pm each day. Students are invited to the library to find books to read, to get text books, for help with assignments and research, to photocopy and print, to experience virtual reality, to play board games and to relax.

We have an exciting and busy schedule of activities planned for lunchtimes this term.

To see an overview of what activities are offered each day, click here.
To see the program of STEM and craft activities for primary students, click here.
To see the program of STEM and craft activities for secondary students, click here.

Ms Nell Keen, Head of Library

College News

Future Problem Solving

Expressions of interest are invited from students in Middle and Senior College who would like to participate in Future Problem Solving. Students who attended practice sessions last year, but who did not proceed because of COVID restrictions are encouraged to participate this year. Future Problem Solving is an enrichment and extension program for students who enjoy research, problem solving and creative thinking.

The topics in 2021 are:

Youth in Competitive Sports
Wearable Technology
Human Environmental Impact
National Conference Topic: Personalised Medicine

For more information, please visit the Future Problem Solving website: https://fpsp.org.au/.

Please contact Mrs Belchamber for more information or listen for more details at Middle and Senior College Assembly.

Mrs Jo Belchamber, Head of Learning Enrichment 6-12

Cultural News

Instrumental Music

Welcome back to all students. All private instrumental lessons will begin in Week 2. If you haven’t already heard from your tutors, you should do so in the next few days. All ensembles will also start rehearsals in Week 2. Please see the attached timetable for rehearsal days and times. Any new instrumental music students are encouraged to join the ensembles. If you’re child would like to join an ensemble, please email: helenw@pacluth.qld.edu.au

Some dates for your diary are:

Music Information Evening - Tuesday 2^nd February 5.30pm in MC3
Senior Ensembles Music Camp – Friday 12^th – Sunday 14^th February

Mrs Helen Williams, Head of Instrumental Music

Sport News

Year 3-6 Inter-House Carnival

Welcome to the start of another year of sport at Pacific.

Trials for the Year 3-6 Swim Carnival took place on Thursday this week. Students were placed into competitive or non-competitive races from these trials. This year, students who nominated and qualified for competitive races at the carnival will swim in timed heats. All competitive heats are timed to determine the overall placings for that event. Please note that age champion points only come from overall consolidated placings from the 50m competitive races.

Parent spectators are welcome to attend the carnival, but must comply to the following guidelines:

Parents are required to check in on arrival via the Beerwah Pool’s COVID screening app.
Sanitise on arrival. Sanitiser will be located around the pool and at the entry.
Maintain physical distancing at all times whilst in the venue.
Remain in the designated parent spectator zones.
Not attend if you are unwell.

Operoo

Last year, CareMonkey (the mobile health and safety program used by our Sports Department) rebranded and are now called Operoo. You may at times see communications relating to either of these programs, however moving forward in 2021 we will be referring to Operoo as our sports communications program.

Thank you to the many families who have created and/or updated their Operoo accounts and student care profiles. Please remember, your profile and account are owned by you and as such, the College cannot update any details on your behalf i.e. email addresses.

For new families, if you have not yet seen an invitation to create your child’s profile, please check your Junk Mail folder in the first instance. If you cannot find the email request, please contact our Sports Aide Mrs Natalie Campbell: ncampbell@pacluth.qld.edu.au. Emails will come from Operoo Administrator and will generally have a subject heading stating, “Pacific Lutheran College is requesting…”.

If you require assistance with this program or your profile set up, please contact Mrs Campbell.

Upcoming District and Regional Sports Trial Dates

Sunshine Coast School Sport provides students with pathways in the representative school sport program. There are a range of district and regional sport trials coming up. If you would like your child to trial for any of the sports as per the attached, please contact Mrs Natalie Campbell (ncampbell@pacluth.qld.edu.au) to register your interest prior to the closing date listed.

Roar Active Program

The Roar Active Program is being held across four dates in February and March for students in Prep – Year 6. For details of the program, click here.

Caloundra Hockey Sign On

Mr Darren Hooper, Head of Junior Sport and Mr Cameron West-McInnes, Head of Sport

Club Sport

Pacific FC

Registrations now open!

Saturday fixtures for the 2021 season will commence on 6^th March. To register for U6-U16 (Prep-Year 11) male and female teams, visit: https://www.pacificsoccerfc.com/registration.

We have a number of exciting initiatives planned for 2021 as we celebrate our 20^th anniversary.

Look out for the celebrations throughout the season.

PFC Guzman y Gomez Birthday Club
Anniversary gear
10-Year player jackets
Fun days
Prizes and giveaways
New programs and opportunities
K3 Coaching
Social opportunities for parents
Growth mindset sessions

Free ‘Come and Try’ session – all new players are invited!

Monday 1^st February from 3.30pm – 4.30pm.
Held on the Pacific Lutheran College main oval on Red Cedar Drive. Meet at the soccer canteen.
Bring a water bottle, shin pads and boots.
All U6-U8 Come and Try attendees who register for the season will receive a free ball and shin pads!
To attend this session, RSVP to: PacificFC@pacluth.qld.edu.au.

Here’s to another season full of friendship and fitness.

Mrs Rita Williams, Pacific FC President

St Mark’s Lutheran Church

Worship @ St Mark's

Sharing a common mission and ministry with Pacific Lutheran College

“Growing in faith and sharing God’s love with others”

Weekly worship services are held at 14 Bombala Terrace Caloundra at 8.30am and 9.30am. We are thankful that we are able to meet together each week for worship. As we do this, there are still physical distancing, signing in, and hygiene requirements we need to follow in order to ensure the health and safety of everyone in our community.

Our worship services are intergenerational with a blend of traditional and contemporary.

You’re welcome to follow us on Facebook and visit our Church webpage.

All are welcome at any of our services.

Pastor Ray Morris, St Mark’s Lutheran Church (0429 856 532 or lutherancaloundra@gmail.com)

Upcoming Dates

January

28	Yr 6-12 Commencement Service - Events Centre (6.30pm)
29	New Families Welcome Breakfast (7.00am)
	P-5 Commencement Service - Gym (8.45am)
	Yr 7-10 Swim Trials (12.30-3.00pm)

February

1	New Student ID Photos
	Middle College Information Evening (6.00pm)
2	Yr 7 Camp Departs
	Music Information Evening (5.30pm)
	Yr 11 Information Evening (6.00pm)
3	Yr 10 Leadership Day 1
	P-5 Information Evening (5.00pm)
4	Yr 3-6 Swim Carnival - Beerwah Pool
5	Yr 7 Camp Returns

Compass No. 595 January 2021

LEARNING JOURNEY

ENROLMENTS

NEWS

MY PLC

Growing people to make a difference