Compass No 642 - April 2022

We welcome everyone to the start of a new term and hope that you all had some time over the Easter break to rest and rejuvenate. We extend a particularly warm welcome to our new families and students and trust that all are enriched as we grow together as part of the Pacific community over this coming term.

There was tremendous energy at the end of last term as students competed in their cross country. Well done to all students for their spirited participation and to Buran and Wira who won the Year 7-12 and Year 3-6 carnivals respectively. Thank you to our parents for their attendance and to our staff led by Mr Darren Hooper, Mr Cameron West McInnes and Mrs Natalie Campbell for their leadership and organisation of the carnival.

Congratulations to our U12 rugby boys who greatly enjoyed the opportunity to participate in The Armidale School Rugby Carnival over the holidays. The team played well winning three of their four pool games. They can be proud of the spirit and skill shown in the final where they lost narrowly to Port Macquarie. Well done to the boys and thank you to the parents who travelled to support the team. A particular thank you to Mr Scott Crompton, Mr Josh Cummins and Mr Darren Hooper for their generous preparation, coaching, and leadership of the team.

The cast of Dracula enjoyed the opportunity to come together for rehearsals earlier this week and are looking forward to sharing this gripping tale with our community in May. The strength of characters highlighted within short video clips to be posted on Facebook suggests that this will be another great Pacific production not to be missed. We wish Mrs Janine Delaney and the cast and crew all the best. 

At the end of this week, we farewell Ms Sarah Johns who will be taking on the role of Director of Volleyball and teacher of Humanities at Matthew Flinders Anglican College. We thank Ms Johns for her contribution to our Humanities Department and wish her all the best for the future. We welcome Ms Ruth Douglas who has taught university pathway courses at RMIT and most recently at Thomas Carr Secondary College in Victoria. We also welcome Mrs Samantha Barrass as our Community Liaison and Communications Officer, Ms Gwen Lledo as a Science Lab Technician, and Mr Clinton James as a new member of our grounds staff.  We also welcome back Mr Josh Danzey (Head of Mumba House).   We look forward to each of these staff making a strong contribution to our community.

May God bless us as a community and others through us as we come as guests into each other’s lives to grow together over this coming term.

Dr Bronwyn Dolling, Principal

In Senior Personal Development lessons, a priority focus is on developing students’ study skills, time management, developing a growth mindset, memory, mnemonics, approach to exams, and the capacity to maintain their overall wellbeing, including managing stress. 

This week, Year 10 and Year 11 students engaged in a 45-minute seminar with world-leading study skills partner, Elevate Education, with the objective of teaching students valuable study and exam preparation skills as they lead into their exams in Week 8, Term 2. The seminar broke down the study techniques of top performers, providing students with a road map for what work they need to be doing across the year and how to do it. Skills covered in the seminar also included: working consistently (how to use the syllabus to frame study and take effective notes), note taking (how to structure and review an organised set of notes), conceptual learning skills (teaching students how to break information into relevant topics and understand how concepts fit together) and standing out on assessment (distinguishing themselves from the thousands of other students being taught the same material).

Year 12 students will also commence external examination preparation during Personal Development lessons this term gearing up to mock examinations in Term 3.

Introduction of Peer Mentoring in Pastoral Care Group Lessons

At the conclusion of Term 1, Year 10 students participated in their second Peer Mentoring Day. Year 10 students were given the opportunity to express their interest in becoming a Peer Mentor Leader within their Pastoral Care Group, focusing on supporting Year 7 students within their PCG.  These elected Peer Mentor Leaders will meet with me and fellow staff members trained in peer mentoring fortnightly, commencing Week 2 with the objective of sharing ideas and initiatives to support and mentor Year 7 students across the four Houses and within each PCG. 

The intention is that these Year 10 students will go on to mentor their peers as they progress from Year 7 into Year 8 and Year 9, and hopefully Peer Mentors for the next cycle of Year 7 students.

It is great to see so many people registering to attend the ANZAC Day march. If you haven’t already registered please follow this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QXBCNDN

Ms Leigh Finter, Acting Director of Students and Head of Senior College Students

Home learning across P-5 is important because it is the intersection between home and school.  As children grow older, home learning and the amount of time engaged in home learning increase in importance.

Here are five constructive purposes for home learning in the context of your child’s educational journey. The first two are the most important and obvious. Through practice and participation in learning tasks, home learning can improve your child’s achievement. It would be expected that if home learning were completed accurately, not only would your child’s general knowledge and marks improve but your child would also increase mastery of basic academic skills, such as reading, writing, spelling, and mathematics.

Home learning can provide other benefits too. Your child’s ability to bring an assignment task home, gather and organise necessary materials to complete the assignment, and return the assignment and receive a grade, strengthens his or her sense of responsibility. There is also improved development of personal skills such as time management gained by completing home learning. Furthermore, when home learning proceeds smoothly it can become a positive aspect of your relationship with your child. Finally, it offers schools an opportunity to let parents know what their children are learning and so can play an important role by keeping parents informed about class activities and policies.

Home learning is a bridge that joins schools and parents. From the school’s perspective, there is the opportunity to monitor students' independent progress. For parents, there is the potential to gain a greater appreciation of education and to express positive attitudes toward their children’s achievements.

Regardless of the amount of home learning assigned, many students unsuccessful or struggling in school spend less rather than more time engaged in home learning. It is not surprising that students spending less time completing home learning may eventually not achieve as consistently as those who complete their home learning tasks.

Home learning is important as one of several influential factors in school success. Some tips:

• Schedule a regular home learning time. Allow for a relaxation break after school, but do not let children leave home learning until just before bedtime when they are likely to be tired, grouchy, and unable to concentrate.
• Help younger school students set a schedule. Older students can set their own schedules, but make sure these are workable.
• Allow time for sports or other activities, balance is important.
• Provide a home learning area that has good lighting, is comfortable, and is fairly quiet. If possible, supply a desk or worktable.
• Eliminate distractions by making the telephone, television, video games, etc. off-limits.

Mrs Sue Zweck, Head of Teaching and Learning K-5

Easter is all about faith, hope, and love and I pray that you and your family experienced

God’s great love during these holidays. Term 2 is here, and we continue to prepare for the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD).

Every school works toward identifying students with disabilities by identifying their learning needs. Armed with this information teachers make reasonable adjustments to the curriculum, classroom environmental adjustments, and/or adjustments to support students’ social and/or emotional needs.

What is the NCCD?

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) takes place every year.

The NCCD is a collection that counts:

• the number of school students receiving an adjustment or ‘help’ due to disability

• the level of adjustment they are receiving to access education on the same basis as other

students.

Students are counted in the NCCD if they receive ongoing adjustments at school due to disability. This ‘help’ allows them to access education on the same basis as a child without disability. The NCCD uses the definition of disability in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.

How does the NCCD assist schools?

The NCCD prompts schools to identify students with disability and to review their processes and practices. It records the adjustments already undertaken in schools to support students with disability to access and participate in education on the same basis as their peers.

To know more click on these links:

The NCCD Infographic

https://www.nccd.edu.au/sites/default/files/what_is_the_nccd.pdf

What do Parents, Guardians or Caregivers of students with disability need to know?

https://www.nccd.edu.au/for-parents-guardians-and-carers

For more information, please feel free to contact the LEC staff or email Chantal McAllister at cmcallister@pacluth.qld.edu.au

Mrs Chantal McAllister, Head of Learning Enrichment P-12

High school students are one with their smartphones, their nimble thumbs tapping their thoughts and desires for posting on social media accounts. As they access platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook, students read, view, and listen to up-to-the-minute content, responding quickly with words, images, or videos while sharing to their own accounts. With the rapid-fire pace of social media proliferation, many account keepers respond or share without confirming a post’s source or accuracy. Stony Brook University School of Journalism recognizes that “the conflict between speed and accuracy [of information] has escalated.”

Students need to learn the skills of news and media literacy, and specifically social media literacy, so they can figure out what’s real, what’s exaggerated, and what’s just made up. Then these information consumers can reflect on what they experience in digital social media realms and decide whether to comment on, share, or ignore inaccurate or extreme information.

The ultimate goal is for students to develop an active role with social media and that they “interrogate information instead of simply consuming it.” Remember, Abraham Lincoln warned that we should not believe everything we learn through social media. (And, by the way, that statement is a fake). For more information click on the link below.

Helping Middle and High School Students Find the Truth in Social Media | Edutopia

Mrs Annie Williams, College Counsellor

Click here to follow our Friends of Pacific Facebook page.

Mrs Jenny Lee, Friends of Pacific Chairperson

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 can meet together each week for worship. As we do this, there are still physical distancing, signing in, and hygiene requirements we need to follow 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)

25       ANZAC Day

26       Senior College Conferences

27       Senior College Conferences

27       PLC ANZAC Day Services

May

2         Labour Day Public Holiday

3         9 -19 years District Cross Country

3         Middle College Conferences

4         Middle College Conferences

4         FOP Mother’s Day Stall

10       NAPLAN week

11       Year 4 Camp – Mapleton

15       PLC Open Day