Compass No. 621 August 2021

Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness” …

So God created humankind, in the image of God he created them.

Genesis 1:26a, 27

The God of Genesis of the Old Testament is a creative God. A God who brings the universe into being through his creative impulses. This God has given creativity as a gift to all his people. As members of humanity, we are created in the image of God. Therefore, we share in the creativity that emanates from God. This means schools and educational systems are so important in the process of cultivating creativity in the hearts and minds of students. Through schools, God uses teachers and staff to encourage the next generation of problem solvers, scientists, musicians, designers, artists, mathematicians and musicians to tackle the challenges of the world, create objects of beauty, and give expression to those things that give us meaning and purpose in life. When we are creative and sit back and view that creativity, for a moment, we are connecting with the God who sat back and viewed his creation and said that what he made was good, extremely good. That is the deep satisfaction that can come our way when we tap into the creativity God has woven into each one of us.

Every child, young person and adult has the God-given potential to be creative and learn to be creative. God has made each of us with unique and varied gifts of creativity. And this creativity involves much more than being talented musically or artistically. Creativity involves originality, adaptability, generating new ideas, problem-solving, thinking outside of the box. As well as being born with natural creative ability, for each of us there are also creative skills we can learn to develop and grow. Skills that are needed in today’s changing world and skills that every student is encouraged to develop as they learn at Pacific.

There are numerous ways we can cultivate the creativity that God has given us. The stories we read about students each week in this Compass newsletter are testimony to that. As we read them, we can be encouraged in the image of God, in the creativity God has given our students, our teachers, and our families at Pacific and in all of humanity. And as we help cultivate that sense of creativity in our young people, may we together be a blessing to the world as we reflect the image of God, our creator. 

Pastor Tim Jarick, College Pastor

This week we will continue our journey through the storeys of our mind and revisit the role our emotions play in our lives. From time to time, all of us experience what we might call “big emotions.” As we mature, we are more adept at identifying and recognising how these feelings may occur and how we might deal with them. However, this is a gradual process and for younger children it can be challenging when these big emotions appear.

Managing emotions and recognising heat moments, have a big bearing on how the brain processes different situations. Perhaps the easiest way to explain this is by using the analogy of an upstairs and a downstairs brain.

The downstairs brain includes lower regions of the brain that are responsible for basic functions (like breathing and blinking) as well as impulses and emotions (like anger and fear). The upstairs brain is responsible for more intricate mental processes like planning, decision-making, self-awareness, empathy and morality. When a child’s upstairs brain is functioning well, they are more likely to be able to slow down, think before they act, regulate emotions, self-soothe and consider others’ feelings and perspectives — all important areas of healthy human functioning.

While the downstairs brain with its strong emotions and impulses is fully built and functioning in young children, the upstairs brain is unfinished and is still under construction well into a person’s twenties. Our job as adults in kid’s lives is to support the integration of the downstairs and upstairs regions of kids’ brains.

In many ways, we are building our resilience. This is not always easily done. On assembly, our students were reminded of the many options that we have when faced with an emotional challenge. Breathing, talking and remaining positive are simple ways to get through a challenge.

I had the pleasure of sitting through a circle time with the Year 2’s during the week. It is always, refreshing to hear and see the insights that very young people have about the situations that they are presented with. In the circle, a student stated that he used his inner voice to calm himself down when things got too much. Such wise and sage advice!

Uniform and Expectations

I would like to take the opportunity to thank all students and parents for their support of the college uniform policy. How we manage our uniform expectations shows the community about how we present and care for self. Students have been reminded about expectations regarding hair and accessories this week. All hair past the shoulders must be tied back with hair bands in line with the colours of the college. Shoes and socks must match the uniform of the day.

Book week

Thank you to the many students and staff for the effort it required to organise their costumes on Monday. They were amazing! Thank you to all the parents and guardians who helped their children prepare for the day, and extra special thanks to the library team for their co-ordination and organisation.

Take care and God Bless,

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

As the restrictions continue to ease around excursions and off-site activities, we have been able to reschedule the rock climbing and abseiling adventurous journey for 7 -12 students that was unfortunately cancelled in August due to COVID.

The rescheduled date is the weekend of the 9th and 10th October.  If you would like to attend, please email Head of Outdoor Education, Ms Kim Wood for further details.

Ms Kim Wood, Head of Outdoor Education

At the end of Term 2, Pacific Lutheran was invited to select four Year 8 students to participate in an innovation and entrepreneurship pitch event.  The event was judged by several Sunshine Coast industry representatives.  The judging of the pitch was based on the student’s ability to:

•    Identify a problem based on one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals  
•   Demonstrate adherence to the lean startup process to identify a viable and innovative solution  
•   Include a technology-driven Minimal Viable Product (MVP), and 
•   Have a solution which is scalable 

Our students came up with an ingenious idea to have a device that was worn on the wrist to track the endorphin levels of the wearer. This device was called the Joy Watch.  Endorphins were identified by the students as being the trigger to maintain Good Health and Wellbeing which is the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #3.  As 45% of the population will suffer from some form of depression at some point in their lives, the students felt that if they could track their endorphins, they could also starve off depression before it strikes. 

The Joy Watch reminded the wearer to laugh, eat endorphine enhancing foods, and volunteer or help others.  Every time a user does one of these things, they increase their tally.  The Joy Watch can connect with the users close friends, so they can keep tabs on their mental wellbeing. 

Our students presented their solution with confidence and were provided with great feedback to further develop their idea.  Events like this are invaluable for our students as they:

• Provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate their learnings
• Encourage development of 21st century skill sets  
• Highlight the importance of study in Information Technology, regardless of possible future career choices  

This event was a partnership between local non-profits Startup STEAM and local industry, with support from the Sunshine Coast Council and endorsement by the ACS ICT Gateway to Industry Schools program. 

Mr Wesley Warner, Head of Department – Innovation, Entrepreneurialism and Business

Since 2012, Event Cinemas (EC) and Birch Carroll and Coyle (BCC) have been working with local schools on the Sunshine Coast to provide students with an invaluable head start to their future by participating in a School Based Traineeship Program (SBT). 

The SBT Program is highly regarded by these employers as an invaluable part of their business, including their succession plan for future employees and potential company leaders across their brands.

TAFE Queensland is excited to be working with EC & BCC here on the Sunshine Coast to offer SBT opportunities to current students in Years 10 and 11.   

The first step in the process of applying is to attend a Recruitment and Information event. This event is planned to progress applications, assist with questions, and future planning.   This is an exciting recruitment process and it does move very quickly, which is how industry moves. 

At the Information and Recruitment Night:

• School Advisors/Parent/Students will hear about these exciting opportunities directly from the Manager and his Team. 
• The intention is for ALL Students to be interviewed on the night
• Students will participate in team activities 
• Students will network and meet students from other schools in the area.

Students MUST:

• Register for the Event - for catering and COVID requirements
• Bring their RESUME - as they will be interviewed on the night
• Bring their phones for registering on the night
• Wear a mask at the event.

Recruitment and Information events will be held on Monday 6th September for Kawana Cinemas, and Tuesday 7th September for Maroochydore Cinemas.

To register, scan the QR code on the attached flyer.

Certificate II Aircraft Line Maintenance (Years 10 and 11)

Aviation Australia are currently taking enrolments for the Certificate II in Aircraft Line Maintenance (MEA20518) commencing February 2022 at Nambour TAFE. Students can gain 4 QCE points with this qualification. They will attend Nambour TAFE campus one day per week from February to September.

The VETiS funded program for Year 10 and 11 students teaches students the basic level knowledge and skills to perform a range of specified maintenance tasks on aircraft.

Please note: This course is offered on a one-day-per-week basis, at a TAFE campus. Students who choose to enrol in this course will be therefore required to miss one day of school each week for the duration of the course. We cannot guarantee that your TAFE day will not clash with your chosen subjects here at school, so adjustments may need to be made to your subject choices to accommodate the TAFE course.

Experience ACU (Years 10, 11 and 12)

This event at ACU (Australian Catholic University) offers on-campus workshops for students in years 10, 11 and 12 to get a taste of university life.

On the day students will get an opportunity to:

• sample the degree of their choice
• participate in a hands-on workshop
• meet ACU staff and current students
• get a feel for ACU’s campus and facilities
• learn about industries and careers
• hear helpful tips on preparing for university
• enjoy the fun campus atmosphere.

This year’s workshops include:

• Biomedical science
• Criminology (newly added)
• Education
• Law
• Midwifery and nursing
• Paramedicine
• Physiotherapy
• Social work
• Speech pathology and occupational therapy
• Sport and exercise science
• Visual arts

For more information or to register, go to https://web.cvent.com/event

The Hotel School Open Day (Years 10, 11 and 12)

The Hotel School is running a virtual Open Day. This event allows you to explore university qualifications at The Hotel School in business, hotel management and tourism plus:

• learn about student life and learning experiences
• access to on-demand webinars
• explore The Hotel School’s virtual campus tours
• learn about early entry and scholarship applications
• join live Q&A

For more information or to register, go to: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/

USC Headstart Information Evening (Years 10 and 11)

Students and their parents are invited to USC’s Headstart Information Evening on Thursday 9 September, where they can find out everything they need to know to get started at USC.

Headstart gives Year 11 and 12 students a real university experience and sets them up for their future, allowing them to study first-year University subjects and receive credit to take time off their degree. 

For more information, or to register, go to https://www.usc.edu.au/

Apply for university scholarships now! (Year 12)

Every year, tens of thousands of dollars of scholarship money remains unclaimed because not enough people apply for scholarships. Every university has a wide range of scholarships on offer. Some are offered by the university itself, and others are offered by corporate donors or charitable organisations. Whatever university you plan to go to next year, it is definitely worth a few minutes of your time to do a search on the university website to see what sorts of scholarships are available. Most have a search function on the scholarships page, that allows you to filter your search.

Remember, you are searching for undergraduate scholarships, and you are a future, not a current student. Some but not all scholarships are awarded automatically, based on ATAR. There are lots of others that have a range of eligibility criteria and are not only for very high achievers. Take a look – you never know what you might find!

Mrs Wanda Hayes, Head of Career Development

Thank you to those that were able to attend the Friends of Pacific meeting last night.  We are grateful to have the support of so many in our College Community. 

The year is set to end on a high note as we celebrate Pacific’s 20th Year at our Aussie World Family Fun Night and the 20th Anniversary Soirée Under the Stars.

Please contact Friends of Pacific should you require further information.

Aussie World Family Fun Night rescheduled to Friday 22 October 2021, 5 – 9pm

Get your tickets at Flexischools Aussie World Tickets or scan the QR code to link

20th Anniversary Soiree Under the Stars

Planning continues for our 20th Anniversary Soirée Under the Stars. Invitations for this 18+ event will be sent out in the coming weeks to the College’s Alumni, current Parents, Staff, College Council and FoP.

Father’s Day

With the recent health epidemic, we regret to advise will not be able to proceed as planned with our Father’s Day Stall next week.

Here’s hoping your children are busily working away on art projects and personalised cards to celebrate Dad’s special day, next Sunday 5th September.

Click here to follow our Friends of Pacific Facebook page.

Mrs Jenny Lee, Friends of Pacific Chairperson

At the start of Book Week, the Children’s Book Council of Australia announced the winners of the Book of the Year competition in the various categories of Older Readers, Younger Readers, Early Childhood, Picture Books, Non-Fiction and the Crichton Award for Illustration. The winners are:

Costume Parade

Monday saw a huge array of Harry Potter’s, superheroes, fairy princesses and assorted book characters gather to celebrate Book Week. Many of the staff dressed up as the 101 Dalmatians. There were some very creative costumes on display, from both staff and students, and the photo booth at lunchtime was very popular. Well done to everyone who helped us celebrate the importance of books and stories in a child’s life.

Escape from the Mummy’s Tomb

Secondary students were not forgotten in our Book Week celebrations. The theme for Book Week was Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds. The Old Worlds inspired our Ancient Egyptian-themed activity.

Three escape rooms were set up in the library hubs and students had to work together to solve a series of puzzles to find the code that unlocked the treasure box.

Ms Narelle Keen, Teacher Librarian

Best wishes to the Pacific FC teams playing in their respective finals this weekend at PLC.

Saturday 28th August - Plate - U14 Pacific Seals - Pacific Lutheran College Main Field - 10.00 am kick-off

Saturday 28th August - Preliminary Final - U16 Pacific Cobras - Pacific Lutheran College Main Field - 11.50 am kick-off

We had five 10-year players this season: Henry Friend, Luke Harrys, Blake Dines, Cooper Whatham, and Macey Winter. Our featured player for this week is Macey and Cooper.

Macey started out in the U6 Pacific Orcas in 2012 and moved into the U9 Pacific Eels in 2015. Cooper started out in the U6 Pacific Seals and moved to the U10 Pacific Eels in 2016. Over the years, Macey and Cooper have shown true grit and dedication to their sport, both earning SCCSA Adermann Award nominations, being part of the 2016 Fair Play Award winning team and taking out the U11 Grand Final in 2017. 

Congratulations to all of our players and we look forward to celebrating at our End of Year Presentation.

Mrs Rita Williams, Pacific FC President 

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 9.00am. 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)