Taking note of Stephen’s Covey’s (1988) second habit, “to begin with the end in mind”, can help us to learn and live well as we begin a new term and even each new day. Having clarity around who we want to be and what we want to do helps us to live purposefully in both the short and long term. This involves us making decisions around the personal, ethical, moral and spiritual dimensions of our lives as well as considering what we want to achieve. Taking time to imagine and visualise our desired future selves reduces the likelihood of being blown around by the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Covey advises us to “keep the main thing, the main thing” and “lean our ladder against the right wall”. Beginning with the end in mind helps us to be intentional, take the long view, to be proactive and more resilient.
Growing understanding of who we are in relationship to God and to others helps us to centre on the important parts of our lives. As we start this new day and this new term, let us all pause to imagine our best future selves, feeling the comfort of a loving and gracious God who guides, strengthens and encourages.
(Covey S, Books, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Habit 2, Begin With the End in Mind, https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits-habit2.php, accessed Oct 5 2017)
In this year’s Compass Review, I discussed research that described the qualities young people will require to thrive in a rapidly changing world. This included good disciplinary knowledge, highly developed interpersonal capabilities as well as the ability to be flexible, creative, collaborative and to be highly effective as self-directed learners. As Mr Wes Warner and I toured various innovative schools and contemporary workplaces in California over the holidays, the importance of immersing staff, students and parents in a rich culture of thinking and learning was evident. There was a strong synergy between the practices and learning culture of the schools we visited and Pacific Lutheran College including the focus on students taking responsibility for their learning, rich generative questions that prompt inquiry and deep understanding, attention to developing strong disciplinary learning and restorative practices. We also witnessed different practices that we can bring into the learning conversation of our community as we reflect on ways to continually improve the educational experience of our young people. We look forward to sharing these reflections with the community in the coming weeks and months.
We congratulate the following students on their appointment as College and Pacific Action Group Captains for the 2018 school year: 
Woolworths Earn & Learn
Welcome back to Term 4! We hope everyone had a restful holiday and enjoyed the beautiful spring weather. A reminder that all general loans issued before the school holidays are due back this week. We will run overdue notices next week to allow students time to return their books.
Congratulations to our Year 6 team who represented the College at the Samsung Queensland Primary Schools Netball Competition, held in Maroochydore on the first weekend of the school holidays.
2018 Sign-On 
On Sunday 29th October, Wishlist is hosting a Teddy Bears’ Picnic at Cotton Tree Park to raise much-needed funds to support dementia patients at Nambour Hospital. Activities and entertainment will be provided at the picnic. Click here to download the event flyer. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting: 
Pacific Lutheran College is fundraising with Entertainment™ again this year. Order your NEW 2017 | 2018 Entertainment™ Books and Entertainment™ Digital Memberships today and 20% of the proceeds will go towards Pacific Lutheran Early Learning Centre! To order your book or digital membership, visit: 