Principal's Log

There was tremendous community spirit evident at OCEANfest last Friday night. Staff, students, parents and members of the wider community came together to enjoy the creative and warm ambience that emanated from the Carnivale theme. A colourful parade of street performers, tasty and varied food and beverages, rides, talented performances and entertainment and a variety of stalls and activities including mini Olympic trials, culminating in fireworks at the end of evening, provided a great atmosphere for fun and relaxation. It was a wonderful community event and we thank all parents, students, staff and the members of the St Mark’s congregation for their generosity, hospitality and support. Thank you to the many local businesses who sponsored this event, including Carnivale Partner Newwave Orthodontics, fireworks sponsor Fowler Lawyers and major raffle sponsor Sunstate Jewellers. We particularly thank our organising committee very capably led by Mrs Mel Pollack, Mrs Jenny Lee and Mr Ian Barnes. Their creative vision, attention to detail and many hours of commitment resulted in a high quality event that brought enjoyment and connection for many. Well done and thank you!

Over the past couple of weeks, our College has experienced some great sporting success at the Queensland Schools Marathon Championships, the Inter-Lutheran Junior Athletics Carnival and the Secondary District Athletics Carnival. Congratulations to our kayaking team who took out the title of State Champions last weekend at the Gold Coast. We thank Mr Gary Graves for his coordination of this team and Dion Morgan, Mrs Colleen Beattie, Mrs Natalie Campbell and Mrs Rae Hall for their coaching assistance. Our Junior Athletics Team finished in second place against other schools in the region at the recent Inter-Lutheran Junior Athletics Carnival. We thank Mrs Natalie Campbell, Mr Damian Davis, Mr Kurt Jones and parent helper, Ms Melanie Boyall, for their support of our team and assistance at the carnival. Finally, we congratulate our Secondary Athletics Team on their performance at the District Athletics Carnival last week. Overall, the College finished in seventh place. We thank Mr Mark Hauser and his team for their support of our students and assistance at the carnival. Well done to all students who represented the College.

This week at the College, teams of teachers across Prep – Year 12 continued their learning journey with International Educational Consultant Mr Mark Church. Mark led teachers through reflections about the learning they have achieved through the leadership and engagement in their Inquiry Action Projects, which aim to improve the learning of students within the teacher’s classrooms. Teachers who have individually developed and progressed their own question of inquiry have benefitted from peer feedback through planned collaborative processes. Expected benefits from the project include continual improvement in student engagement and learning and the enhancement of the collaborative learning culture of teachers. The progress of learning that was evident yesterday would indicate that we are well on the way to achieving these goals. Mark will return to the College in October as the final part of this year’s process.

Last weekend, more than 50 students, parents and staff of the College participated in the Sunshine Coast Marathon. Students and staff benefitted from the training they had completed with the Pacific Running Club and we congratulate all who participated on the day. Many personal goals were achieved and people enjoyed the opportunity to run and raise funds for Ronald McDonald House and other charities as part of the Pacific community at this significant Sunshine Coast event. We thank Mr Stuart Pohlner for his organisation and coordination of this club.

We wish our Year 12 students all the best for the upcoming QCS Test next week. Building at the College will be suspended over the two days of the test to provide optimum conditions for our students.

May we all show character and spirit in all circumstances of life through confidence in a loving and gracious God who always walks with us.

Dr Bronwyn Dolling, Principal