Becoming a Problem Solver

Central to the ‘You Can Do It’ theme for this term, is the notion of becoming a problem solver. With so much of the world around us becoming easily accessible through technology, the concept of persisting when our surroundings become unsure, is an important view to promote to our young people.

Last week, Mrs Sarah Atkinson shared some facts around the number of questions that educators can be asked over the course of a day, year and even throughout their career. Many questions that teachers are asked can usually be quickly solved, such as "I don't have a pencil", "What time is music? or "I can't find my writing book".

The total number of questions is approximately three million! As parents, we can also imagine how many questions that are asked over the course of raising a child. Three million plus? Maybe more!

More importantly, at the college, we aim to develop a culture of thinking by using questioning to deepen understanding. By responding to questions that can be easily solved, we create an environment that encourages our students to ask first and become passive observers rather than critical thinkers and doers.

So many of the questions that young people ask are easily solvable by a series of simple steps. This week and into the future, students are being encouraged to "Try 3 before me." By following three simple steps:

• Ask yourself (stop and focus)
• Look Around (What are others doing? Are their directions I can follow?)
• Ask a friend to help (maybe try more than one friend)

Of course, if these strategies have been unsuccessful, their teacher is always there to support them. By encouraging our students to be autonomous when faced with a challenge, we inadvertently create a growth mindset in our young people and improve their capacity to develop a ‘You Can Do It’ attitude. We encourage you to refer to these strategies when possible.

Events

This week, I have enjoyed accompanying the Year 5 cohort down to Bornhoffen PCYC in the Numinbah Valley. Learning in the outdoors provides our students with new and exciting opportunities to form relationships, explore personal boundaries and manage unfamiliar experiences. Special thanks to our Head of Outdoor Education, Ms Kim Wood, for her preparation before, during and after this experience and to Mrs Melanie Percival, Mrs Luanne Pollard, Mr Scott Crompton, Mrs Chrissy Dobson and Mrs Karen Vorster for their commitment to the Outdoor Education program at Pacific.

This Friday, we celebrate an important milestone in the spiritual journey of our Prep students, when they are presented with their first bible courtesy of the St Mark's congregation at our weekly chapel. We pray that these bibles enable our students to engage with God's word.  Special thanks to the congregation of St Mark's, Pastor Ray Morris and our college Pastor Tim Jarick for coordinating this important event.

We look forward to the P-2 Cross Country Carnival taking place next Wednesday afternoon. The students have been training hard and look forward to testing themselves on the course, next week. We thank Mr Darren Hooper, Head of Junior Sport and Mrs Natalie Campbell, Sports Aide, for their preparation of this event and all the other sporting opportunities our students are fortunate enough to be involved in.

Take care and God Bless.

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