Compass No. 626 October 2021

From the Principal

Celebrating 20 Years of Learning, Community and Growth

Throughout the twenty year history of the College there has been a very strong ongoing commitment from staff, students and parents to utilise their strengths to provide enhanced opportunity for people to learn and grow together as part of an innovative, supportive and vibrant learning community.  The sign-post statements of People the Focus, Learning the Purpose and Christ the Way speak just as strongly today as they did back in 2000.  

Having a focus on growing people deeply within and in their relationships with each other and with God has stood as a foundational statement and lived value for life within and beyond the College. People and relationships come first. This has seen ongoing generations of staff, students and parents benefit from the College’s focus on wellbeing and connection.  With our Pacific vision for learners, ‘Learning the Purpose’, being captured at the end of 2000 in the Four Pillars of Learning, our focus has remained on the core business of growing young people richly with a sense of wonder and possibility, as learners, across all dimensions of their lives. This, together with a focus on the learnings of international and national research, plus the value of access to flexible physical and virtual spaces has seen Pacific continue to evolve as an innovative and purpose driven place of learning for staff, students and parents. With Christ the Way, we are invited to be in a loving and growing relationship with a gracious God who equips, guides, sustains and enables us to live our lives fully and abundantly.

As we celebrate our 20th Anniversary this week, we thank the many people who have generously given of their gifts over time to shape a rich, calm, purposeful and innovative learning community.  Pacific’s greatest strength has always been its people.  We thank all College Council members, staff, students and parents who have each played their part to continue to evolve Pacific.  We thank the St Marks congregation for their support and initiative to establish a College. We look forward to each generation of staff, students and parents taking up the baton to continue to evolve a rich place of learning that enhances the lives of people and the planet through God’s grace.

Principal's Log

One of our strategic intents for this cycle and our focus for this year has been the enhancement of student agency. One of these initiatives involves the enhancement of senior students to act as mentors for Middle College students within pastoral care groups. This year we have commenced formal training of staff and Year 9 students in the Peer Mentoring program in preparation for our Year 10 students acting as more formal mentors for our Year 7 students in 2022.  It was exciting to hear of the engagement of our Year 9 students and staff with this training day on Wednesday of this week.  The program is being provided by Peer Support Australia.  We thank Mr Ben Ryan for his leadership of this initiative and the staff and students for their enthusiasm for learning and growth in this area.

Over the weekend the Year 6-8 students of our Robotics Club enjoyed the opportunity to compete in a Sumo Lego Robotics competition at Cooran. The students all enjoyed the experience and two teams reached the finals with one team coming third.  We congratulate all of the students and thank Mrs Janine Stone for her leadership.

On Sunday, 34 students, staff and parents participated in the Sunshine Coast Marathon.  This was the final event for our run club which provides opportunities for members of our community to come together and grow their skills and love of running.  We thank Mrs Kim Kiernan for her leadership of the run club this year and staff, students and parents for their support.

Middle and Senior College students enjoyed the opportunity to challenge themselves as they climbed the cliffs of Brooyar State Forest over the weekend.  Students enjoyed the weekend in the outdoors and the opportunity to extend themselves as part of the Duke of Edinburgh experience.  We thank Ms Kim Wood for her leadership of this experience especially after having just finished leading the Year 3 experience.  We wish our Year 9 staff and students all the best as they engage in their two-week experience over the coming fortnight.

As part of our 20th Anniversary celebrations we are looking forward to our Aussie World Family Fun Night on Friday October 22nd. This evening will provide an opportunity for us to come together as community as we celebrate together.  Further details can be found in the Friends of Pacific section of the newsletter.  We look forward to enjoying an evening of fun and connection.

As we celebrate our 20th Anniversary over this coming week, we say a prayer of thanks for all College Council members, staff, students, parents, congregation and community members who have contributed so generously and capably to the shaping of Pacific. We thank God for richly blessing this community through its people and partnerships.

Dr Bronwyn Dolling, Principal 

From the College Pastor

A Prayer for our College’s 20th Anniversary

Lord God, thank you for the way you have blessed our school over the last two decades. For its growth, development, and focus on learning, community and service, and your grace. We thank you for the vision and hard work of our principal, founding staff and college council members, students and families. For the trust these people had in starting a school in a cow paddock without buildings and all the facilities we enjoy today. Bless us with the same sense of faith, service, and dedication as we continue to learn and grow as a school community. Bless our celebrations this week. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Pastor Tim Jarick, College Pastor

From the Head of Senior College Students

Driver Awareness and Safety – Senior Personal Development Program

A huge focus in the Senior Personal Development Program is providing education, learning opportunities and practical experience in students’ preparation for applying for their Learner and Provisional Driver’s licences and confidently and safely getting behind the wheel.  Last week, Year 10 students participated in the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) Program. 

The one day workshop provided students with the tools and understanding they need to see themselves as active, responsible road citizens.  A range of activities front-loaded students’ understanding of road safety and gave them tools, habits and motivation to take action and stay safe on the roads, both as drivers and passengers throughout their lives.  Year 11 and Year 12 students continue in their driver awareness journey, participating in the popular Defensive Driver Day, offered in Term Three, 2022.  The Driver Awareness and Safety Program concludes with a QLD Police and the Law presentation delivered to Year 12 students.

Peer Mentoring – Workshop 1

Keeping with this year’s theme of enhancing student agency through growing deeper connections, the formal introduction and training of next year’s incoming seniors as peer mentors within Pastoral Care Groups commenced with a day workshop in the College gymnasium.  During the day, Year 9 students worked in small groups with trained key pastoral care teachers and leaders in developing their knowledge and understanding of the purpose and aim of peer mentoring incoming Year 7 students.  A second workshop will take place early in Term 1, 2022 to consolidate and develop students newly acquired tools so that students feel confident in undertaking a mentoring role in supporting new students to Middle College and those newly enrolled to Pacific and being part of each other’s journeys during their time at PLC.

Ms Leigh Finter, Head of Senior College Students

From the Head of Learning K-5

Class Allocation 2022

This time of year is exceedingly busy as we begin our plans for staff, students and families for 2022.

At Pacific, we encourage all children to achieve the fullest possible development of their intellectual, social, physical, emotional and spiritual needs. We aim to provide the highest quality education in a supportive, inclusive and caring learning environment for each individual child, working to their strengths and focussing on areas that need attention. As an integral part of the process of creating positive learning environments, we strive to achieve the best possible class placement for every child. The College therefore considers the allocation of students to classes in each year level to be a very important process. For this reason, a very clear and detailed system is followed for determining each class composition. The College believes that such a system will enhance the educational environment for the students.

When devising class lists, the following aims are integral to Pacific.

Balancing the classes in the Year Level of:

  • Gender
  • Academic abilities
  • Behavioural traits
  • Learning styles
  • Age of the student
  • Class size

Foundation and Junior Primary staff will also consider:

  • Friendship groups
  • Social / emotional needs
  • Teaching styles
  • Student interests
  • Medical issues
  • Personal / family background (if applicable)

It is not the intention to:

  • Move a whole class group up from one year to the next, where all of the students in the class stay as the same cohort in the next year level
  • Place all new students in one class – they will be split amongst the classes of that year level
  • Weight the classes unevenly, except where appropriate to curriculum initiatives or programs of the College

This complex process takes a great deal of time, planning and reflection. All students will be asked to nominate 2 students that they work well with and 2 students that are their friends. All teachers will ensure that each child has one of those nominated within their class. I am sure you will support teachers in this process.

Mrs Sue Zweck, Head of Learning K-5

College News

Summer Internship in Neuroscience and Mental health at USC (Years 9-12)

USC’s Thompson Institute offers a summer internship for secondary students interested in neuroscience, research, and mental health.  Applications now open for our next Summer Internship on 17-21 January 2022.

The summer internship is designed to give students in years 9 to 12 an insight into the diverse and fascinating work of the Thompson Institute.

Students will experience:

  • How latest technology like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to record images of the brain and its activity
  • How research findings can improve mental health in young people
  • How to keep your brain healthy for life
  • Skills needed to communicate science and health messages

School-based Traineeship: Early Childhood Education (Year 10)

Interested Year 10 students are invited to apply for a school-based Traineeship position at the PLC Early Learning Centre, commencing next year. The Traineeship includes a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education, and the successful applicant will also work for 7.5 hours per week at the Early Learning Centre throughout Years 11 and 12. For details on how to apply, please contact Ian Learoyd or Wanda Hayes.

School-based Traineeship: Animal Companion (Year 10)

There are 2 positions currently available for a Traineeship in a Sunshine Coast pet grooming business, commencing next year. The Traineeship includes a Certificate III in Animal Companion. If you are interested in applying for one of these jobs, please contact Ian Learoyd or Wanda Hayes.

Current vacancies for school leavers: Apprenticeships and Traineeships (Year 12)

The following vacancies are open right now for applications from school leavers. Email Ian Learoyd or Wanda Hayes quickly if you are interested in applying: these opportunities will not be available for long.

  • Commercial Cookery (Chef) apprenticeship at Your Mates Brewing Company in Kawana
  • Painting and Decorating (Painter) apprenticeship in Currimundi
  • Pastrycook apprenticeship in Warana 
  • Carpentry apprenticeship on the Sunshine Coast
  • Landscaping apprenticeships in SE QLD, NSW and VIC

Trade Training Centre applications still open (Year 10 and 11)

Year 10 and 11 students who wish to commence a new course at the Sunshine Coast Technical and Trade Training Centre (SCTTTC) should register to attend one of their information evenings coming up – details are below. At the information evenings, students will receive an EOI form to complete, to register their interest in their chosen course. To register for the information evenings, please call the SCTTTC on 5499 5222.

Information evening dates:

  • Aviation (Remote Pilot) course: Wednesday 10th November at 4:00pm.
  • Salon Assistant/Retail Cosmetics course: Wednesday 3rd November at 5:00pm
  • Automotive, Construction, Electrotechnology and Plumbing courses: Tuesday 9th November at 5:30pm

Please remember that all SCTTTC courses are offered on a one-day-per-week basis, at the SCTTTC campus near Caloundra High. Students who choose these courses will be therefore required to miss one day of school each week for the duration of the course. We cannot guarantee that your SCTTTC 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 SCTTTC course.

Defence Force Recruiting events (Years 10-12) 

Defence Force Recruiting at Maroochydore has the following events coming up:

Date

Time

Event

Location

Monday 25th October

4.30pm-6.30pm

Women in Defence – Ask me Anything

DFR Maroochydore

Wednesday 27th October

6.00pm-8.00pm

Defence Careers Information Session

Mantra Mooloolaba

Registrations are essential. To register for a session visit www.defencejobs.gov.au/events.

Mrs Wanda Hayes, Head of Career Development 

Centre Stage Winners Announced

Congratulations to the following students who placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd or Highly Commended in the online ‘Centre Stage’ competition.

We thank the Cultural Captains, Alex Jose and Madison Randl for leading this exciting event. Thank you also, to each and every student for their entry this year. Your talent is inspiring!

  • 1st Place Middle School – Evangeline Bloomfield
  • 1st Place Senior School – Jackson Mobbs
  • 2nd Place Middle School – Phoebe Struckett
  • 2nd Place Senior School – Rose Newton
  • 3rd Place Middle School – Naima Collett
  • 3rd Place ( tied ) Senior School – Madison Randl and Ruby Cleland

Highly Commended:

  • Ayrisa Jones
  • Mitchell Pyke
  • Evie Sillar
  • Rachel Monroe
  • Noah Winten

Mrs Janine Delaney, Head of Drama

Speech and Drama Performance Day – Saturday 16 October

Family and staff are invited to watch the Speech & Drama students perform on Saturday 16 October. This is part of the ASCA exam process and Pamela Cassidy will be our ASCA examiner on the day. The audience will be entertained by students from Year 5 to 12 performing everything from drama and improvisations to poetry and prose. 

There will be three sessions during the day starting promptly at 9am, 11am and 1pm. Click on the attached link for a schedule of students' performance times. 

Lisa McKibben and Miss Imogen Joppich, Speech & Drama Tutors

Community Service Opportunity – Disabled Surfers Associated Event – Caloundra 23 October

Year 10, 11 and 12 Students are encouraged to consider volunteering at the upcoming Disabled Surfers Association event to be held at Caloundra, Saturday 23rd October (8:30 – 11:15am). No experience necessary. PLC Senior Students have been very generous of their time and energy in supporting these events in the past. Interested students need to sign up on the sheet in the Wellbeing Centre with Ange, or email Mr Dutton by this Friday. Parents and students will then receive further information electronically. For enquiries, please contact Ben Dutton bdutton@pacluth.qld.edu.au.

Mr Ben Dutton, Teacher - Industrial Technology and Design

Chess Mates

Do you want your child to experience the benefits of learning chess while still having fun along the way?  Designed especially for children in Prep and above, our chess classes are fun, interactive, and tailored by our teachers to suit the students in each class. While your child will still learn that winning can be fun, they’ll also learn a whole lot more! In fact, chess can help your child develop socially, academically, and emotionally.

Tuesday 3:00 - 3:45
Location: Year 4 Classroom
Starting Week 1
$15 per session

To book please go to https://chessmates.com.au/school-lessons/ Pacific Lutheran College is under Sunshine Coast.

To know about what we stand for, our founder Ash did a TEDx talk at UQ last year. Here is a link to it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMTga50-j3g&t=7s

Robotics Club

Last Saturday, 9th October a group of robotics students from Years 6 to 8, travelled to Cooran Primary School to participate in their annual Sumo Lego robotics competition. Over 150 students from the area participated in the day to provide a highly competitive and fast-moving competition.

Two of our teams made it through to the finals, with one team, Dylan Casement and Riley Shepherd, coming third on the day. The students had been developing their robots this year with four motors instead of the normal two and this definitely gave our teams a power advantage.

A huge congratulations to all teams, especially Jake, Declan and Lottie who competed in the Middle school competition, up from their own elementary division.

A fabulous day was enjoyed by all team members and we came away with some interesting engineering decisions to act on going forward in areas such as centre of gravity and wheel-base configurations.

Thank you to all students who took part.

Mrs Janine Stone, Head of Information Technology

From the Head of Outdoor Education

Duke of Edinburgh

On the 9th and 10th October, a group of keen Duke of Edinburgh climbers and abseilers from Year 6 to 11 headed north to test their limits both physically and mentally on the cliffs of Brooyar State Forest. 

Students set up their base camp at Glastonbury Creek and headed up to ‘Hungry Jack’s’ cliffs. After a safety briefing, students set out to conquer the cliffs, encouraging each other to reach the top.  After a quick splash in the creek, they cooked a BBQ and enjoyed the night under the stars.  Sunday was a day of pushing limits where students rotated through climbing and abseiling the 40m cliffs of ‘Eagles Nest’.  A well-earned ice cream on the drive back home was a wonderful conclusion to a weekend of adventure.

Ms Kim Wood, Head of Outdoor Education

Friends of Pacific

Connecting College and Community

Aussie World Family Fun Night

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

Have you got your tickets yet?  Only one week now until our Aussie World Family Fun Night!  We are so excited to be able to celebrate the College’s 20th Anniversary and all that’s great about our wonderful Pacific community. So, get your friends and family together to enjoy a night of thrilling rides and attractions!  The Fun Café will be open, and you can also enjoy a relaxing drink under the stars at The Shed.

We look forward to seeing you next Friday 22nd October from 5pm – 9pm. We’ve got all of Aussie World to ourselves with unlimited fun for the whole family. 

Pre-purchase your tickets by the end of Tuesday 19th October via Flexischools Aussie World Tickets or scan the QR code to link.

Wrist bands can be collected next Wednesday and Thursday from 2.30-3.30pm at the flagpoles at the College entry.

Next Meeting

Friends of Pacific meets on the third Tuesday of each month with our next meeting to be held on October 26th.  We meet in the College Library at 6:30pm and all are welcome.

Click here to follow our Friends of Pacific Facebook page.

Mrs Jenny Lee, Friends of Pacific Chairperson

Sport News

Competitive Sport Results

SCSS Basketball

Our teams have continued to play strongly across the season and had a great first round back from holidays. Congratulations, in particular to the 12A Girls who won their Semi Final and will be competing in the Grand Final at USC tomorrow night.

Team

Opposition

Results

                 

Snr D Girls (12A)

Siena

30

24

Win

 

Int A Girls

Unity

20

0

Win

 

Int A Girls

GSLC

 

Forfeit

Win

 

Int C Blue Girls

SJC

4

29

Loss

 

Int C Navy Girls

Creekers

3

89

Loss

 

Int D Green Girls

GCC Eagles

18

37

Loss

 

Int D White Boys

St Andrews

35

8

Win

 

Int E Green Boys

Siena

24

18

Win

 

Int F Blue Boys

Beerwah

36

60

Loss

 

Jnr D Boys

BYE

       

Jnr E Boys

Nambour CC

36

24

Win

 

SCISSA Soccer

Another strong round of SCISSA Soccer this week with the boys fighting out a gritty draw and the girls building on their strong win from last week. Well done players and coaches!

Intermediate A Boys:   PLC 1  SAAC 1  MVP: Harry Hockam

Intermediate B Girls:    PLC 7  SAAC 2 MVP Alice Hindmarsh

SCISSA Rugby

Well done to our Rugby 7’s players for some fantastic results to start off the season. Special mention goes to the U14 Boys for remaining undefeated across the draw.

Team

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

Game 4

13 Boys

PLC 23 MFAC 30

PLC 25 SAAC 5

PLC 5 GSLC 30

 

14 Boys

PLC Win (Forfeit)

PLC 20 MFAC 10

PLC 15 SAAC 15

PLC 15 GCC 5

14 Girls

PLC 30 SAAC 5

PLC 10 GCC 15

PLC 30 SAAC 5

 

16 Girls

PLC 30 NCC 0

PLC 10 SAAC 12

PLC 10 SCGS 12

PLC 10 SAAC 10

Club Sport News

The Pacific FC AGM is being held on the 4th of November at 6.30pm at PLC in L13/14. As this meeting is the opportunity for new people to step into key positions in the club, all involved parents are encouraged to attend. Pacific FC can’t run without a strong volunteer base so we look forward to having some new faces come and be a part of the team to ensure that this fantastic community club continues to grow and develop.

Student Acknowledgement

Congratulations to Tom Chessell and Kai Pethick for their efforts in the recent U18 Baseball State Championships. Both boys have been selected in the U18 QLD Team. Well done!

Mr Cameron West-McInnes, Head of Sport 

Club Sport

Pacific FC

2021 Presentation Day – Saturday 30th October 4-6pm

All Pacific FC families are invited to join us for the 2021 Pacific FC Presentation at PLC. We will celebrate our 20th year with player and team awards, 5, 10 and 15-year awards, SCCSA awards and volunteer awards. RSVP via this link.

Rep Prep at PLC

In preparation for the representative trials, Pacific FC and K3 Coaching will host another FREE Rep Prep sessions.

Date: Wednesday 20th October, 3.30-4.30pm.

Venue: PLC fields – meet at the soccer canteen

Please indicate your attendance via our booking site: https://www.pacificsoccerfc.com/shop

From birth years:
U9 Academy (2013) through to U18 Boys and U19 Girls

SCCSA Representative Trials

General Representative Commitments - will vary from year to year 

  • Squad training by the age group Rep Coach every Monday for 1.5 hours
  • Carnival and State Titles

Click here to register for the SCSSA Representative Trials on 23rd October.

SCCSA Representative Trials

Planning is underway for the 2022 season and we'd love to have your input on reaching future goals within the Sunshine Coast Churches Soccer Association. Email your input, thoughts and feedback to PacificFC@pacluth.qld.edu.au.

You Can Make a Difference in 2022 as a Volunteer

  • Coach
  • Co-Coach
  • Manager
  • Team Assistant
  • Coaching Director
  • Canteen Coordinator or Assistant
  • Grounds Coordinator or team member
  • Uniform and Sponsorship Team
  • General Committee Member
  • Executive Committee Member - President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary or Registrar

Contact President Rita Williams to join the team. PFC is committed to a place where positivity, patience, and persistence flourish.

Follow our Insta and Facebook pages to see all the action.

Mrs Rita Williams, Pacific FC President

Sunshine Coast Marathon

Sunday 10th October saw 34 excited students, parents and teachers take part in the Sunshine Coast Marathon to conclude another great year of running. We had people enter race distances ranging from 2km to 21.1km with lots of stellar performances despite the heat.

It was a great culmination of another successful year of Run Club, with many students breaking their PB’s during our Tuesday morning runs. Thank you to all of the students, parents and staff that have made it a huge success this year and turned up each week. I can’t wait to do it all again in 2022!

Mrs Kim Kiernan, Run Club Coordinator

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 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)

Upcoming Dates

October

15        20 Year Anniversary Chapel Service

18        Year 4-6 SCISSA Training (3.15-4.15pm)

18-29   Year 9 Outdoor Education Program (Kenilworth)

22        Grandparents and Friends Day

22        Aussie World Family Fun Night

25        Year 12 External Assessment Commences

25        Year 4-6 SCISSA Training (3.15-4.15pm)

26        Friends of Pacific (6.30pm)

27        Pacific Pulse Surf Contest

            Year 12 2022 Information Evening (6pm)            

November

1          All Saints Day

1          Year 4-6 SCISSA Training (3.15-4.15pm)

3          Prep 2022 Information Evening (5pm)

4          Year 4-6 SCISSA Gala Day 4

5-6       Junior Musical

10        Year 5-6 Multi Instrumental Concert (2-3pm)

            ELC New Families Evening

            STEM and IT Showcase

12        Year 10 Exams commence

15        Year 3-4 Strings Concert (2.15-3pm)

16        Year 12 External Assessment Concludes