Recently, I went to the Early Learning Centre where the littlest of the St Andrews kids hang out.

At 9:00am in the morning, I was surrounded by openly excited, very small children, who were completely enthused about sharing the details of their openly exciting lives.

As far as I could translate, here is what I found out:

One young girl has five Elsa dolls.

One young man found a grasshopper on his way into the ELC.

Another young lady needed to clap her hands repeatedly because (in her words) she was too happy to stop.

Lastly, another youngster was curiously interested in the tread of my shoes and let me know about it.

As children grow up, pass through various year levels of school and stages of life, almost always, that exuberant enthusiasm is whittled away, unfortunately. Instead of showing the greatest joy about grasshoppers or happiness, it sometimes seems like it’s replaced by distracted grumpiness.

Yet this outward change is not the whole story. In fact, inside the young people, as the transformation continues, is that same child who wants to express his or her excitement for life about different things. Adults don’t lose this, either. It can be eroded by struggles of life, but somewhere inside every person is a kernel of joy that longs to grow into something bigger.

Jesus understood this which is why, when surrounded by a group of children, Jesus told the adults – “Let the kids come to me, don’t stop them!” The kingdom of God is revealed to them in their open-minded, open-hearted view of the world. In order to feel and understand what God has for us, have faith like them.

Maybe over the course of the next weeks, you’ll have an opportunity to share the stories of joy inside of you. I hope you’ll find joy in that!

God’s peace,

Pastor Reid
College Pastor

Given that this is our first newsletter for the year, I thought that the following reflection may be useful. After a (too) long break, it is just wonderful that our hallways are once more filled with the sounds of our most precious resources – your children!

REDUCING ANXIETY AT THE START OF A SCHOOL YEAR

Going back to school after a long break can be an anxious time for a child. New classes, teachers, and students as well as the increased uncertainty of the pandemic all have potential to pile up and create fear of the unknown. Here are some strategies that may help you and your child work through the start of the new school year and lead to a more positive experience.

Validate Their Anxiety
Letting your child know that you appreciate and understand that they may be anxious about the return to school is important validation for your child and helps them feel safe and secure

Help Them Prepare
Discuss what to expect with your child and help them understand school procedures and safety measures. Ask them what they are looking forward to and check in regularly in the first weeks.

Focus on the Positives
Talk about the friends and teachers that your child will be seeing again after the long break and reassure your child that they will soon feel comfortable in their new routines.

Limit Expressing Your Expectations
You may need to limit conversations about your expectations for the year – especially academic ones. It may only add to your child’s anxiety now and you will have plenty of time to discuss these during the year.

Don’t Add to the Pressure
Remember that working through the change takes up a lot of energy, so your child may become tired, and a bit more grumpy than usual. Make sure they have plenty of free time to relax and play after school while they settle into the year.

Look After Yourself
The long break and the uncertainty that comes with the current pandemic and what to expect in the future has taken a toll on parents as well. You need to ensure that you have a break and care for your own well-being if you are going to be the calm positive carer your child needs. Flexibility is going to be a necessity in the coming months, and you will need to ensure that you maintain your resilience as you care for your child and your family.

Acknowledgement: Anxious Kids, 2019, by Michael Grosser and Dr Jodi Richardson

Peace and Grace

David Bliss
Principal

May I first add a warm welcome to our new families and of course welcome back to our existing families. I look forward to meeting our new families or speaking with you over the coming months as the opportunity arises.

I enjoyed attending and being involved in today’s Commencement Service. What a rich way to commence the year and to also induct our appointed student leaders in both the Middle School and Senior School. Our Year 12 cohort were also acknowledged and received their senior badges as a symbol of their senior leadership and final year at the College. I am confident that all these students will represent and serve the College well in 2022 and I am excited to work with them as they lead the student body and develop new initiatives.

While we had a delayed start of year, it has been lovely over the past week, to speak with numerous students from various year levels as I’ve walked around the campus and visited classes. Our Middle School students have been a bundle of energy and enthusiasm as they have approached new learnings with new teachers and subjects.

PARTNERSHIPS AND CONNECTIONS

Over the past week we have held both Year 12 and Year 10 Parent and Student Information Nights online, due to COVID restrictions. Thank you parents for connecting online with us, I trust you found the information shared specific enough and relevant to your child’s year level needs.

On Monday, 7 February our Year 12 Parents were also invited to connect face-to-face for specific Year 12 Teacher/Parents (and student) interviews. These interviews helped to refocus our Year 12 students on their studies and goals for the year ahead. We were also pleased to be able to host this evening in the new CCI building and provide an opportunity for parents to look through this facility.

The Academic Awards Assembly for Senior School was held on Wednesday, and the Middle School’s will be held next Wednesday, 16 February at 8:30am in the Ruth Butler Theatre. The Senior School and Middle School Awards Assemblies acknowledge excellence in achievement, endeavour and improvement in the previous semester of study. We also welcomed back our ATAR 90+ students from the class of 2021 to the Senior School Assembly and acknowledged them on their academic excellence.

The three a term newsletter is published to share what is happening at St Andrews and to provide information about opportunities to connect and to build community. I encourage all families to also follow our Facebook and Instagram pages. Even more so, I encourage you to reach out and to call or email if you would like to connect with any of your child’s teachers and key leaders.

STARTING WELL AND MAINTAINING A SUCCESSFUL YEAR AHEAD

Finally, as we embark on a new school year, I thought I’d pen a few suggestions that may help your young person start well and maintain a successful year ahead.

Help them set a few goals for the year. Spend time discussing what they want to achieve this year. Were they happy with their end of semester report? Where are improvements needed? What are their strengths? What might they need to do to achieve their new-found goals?

Actively support them to do their best. Talking though the logistics of their weekly commitments and helping them establish their weekly homework schedule. It might also mean, ensuring they have a workspace in the home conducive to study. (i.e. a functional desk and simple whiteboard planner above it.)

Get to know their teacher. Make contact with their Connect teacher. Teachers appreciate being able to work in partnership with you to educate your child. Open lines of communication between home and school always benefits the child.

Keep a positive attitude. Be supportive of the school and its decisions. Trust that staff are professional and work with your child’s best interests at heart. Children pick up on the attitude of their parents and often reflect the same attitude themselves.

Be aware of co-curricular opportunities. At this school there is an array of co-curricular activities provided. Not all children come rushing home with a list of endeavours they wish to sign up for. Subsequently, missing out on opportunities they would enjoy, develop in, build friendships through and possibly thrive in. Research shows that students who are engaged in co-curricular programs or volunteer in some way, are more engaged in their school community and achieve better academic outcomes.

Remind them how good sport and exercise is. While we know academics are important, sport is a clear winner in helping children become a team player, release tension, focus better and build resilience. Oh, did I mention sport improves fitness levels as well. It is also worth acknowledging that some children excel in sports because it is their area of talent and opportunity to bring about success equal to or perhaps even greater than what they could ever achieve in academics.

Cut down on screen time. A simple way to reduce this is to consider keeping television, Netflix or social media platforms off during the school week, or extremely limited. This is a practise we have implemented in our home for the past decade and I am convinced it has helped our busy household of school age children to manage their commitments.

Ensure they are getting a good night sleep. This may seem an obvious one, but with such accessible technology in our homes, it is all too easy to assume teenagers are sleeping, while they may very well be gaming or enjoying a social life on line. Take measures to reduce the temptation for them, i.e. switch modem off after 9:00pm or insist phones go in the fruit bowl at bedtime.

Our young people need our guidance, support and parenting, and while it is not always acknowledged, in time, they do or will appreciate it.

Wishing you every blessing for 2022!

Adele Ramsay
Deputy Principal Head of Secondary School

Welcome to 2022

A big welcome back to our students in the Senior School. A special welcome to our Year 10 students, our new students and our new staff. Also, we welcome our parent body. We look forward to working with our student captains this year and are excited about the student voice that they will bring in relation to new initiatives and existing activities around the College.

Our Senior students haven’t wasted any time getting back into their subjects. At the beginning of the year, we strongly encourage students to set SMART goals and develop a weekly study timetable to effectively manage their time. We encourage them to have balance in their life so that they are challenged with new opportunities but at the same time they are not overburdened with too many commitments. We encourage them to limit their distractions and practice gratitude daily.

Students in the Senior School are responsible for their learning. They need to check their emails and messages on Microsoft Teams on a daily basis to keep abreast of all notices and relevant announcements. If they are absent from school, it is their responsibility to check in with their classroom teacher and catch up on the work that has been missed.

If students or teachers have concerns, as a first point of call, we ask that both students and parents seek the help of the relevant Connect teacher or classroom teacher. We strongly encourage students to be part of these conversations.

In 2022, we expect our Senior students to continue to build a positive network and reputation in the community. We encourage the Senior School students to lead our College by example. This means students need to communicate respectfully with their peers and staff, wear our College uniform with pride, arrive to classes and commitments on time and be ready to actively listen and learn.

The Senior School staff and I look forward to working with you this year.

Dani Goucher Head of Senior School

Welcome back to the start of 2022. A special welcome to new families joining our community. Our theme this year is 'Opening Hearts, Opening Minds' and I encourage you to say hello to any new faces you see around the College or at upcoming events as it would mean a lot to new students and families if we ‘open our hearts’ to them.

STARTING A NEW SCHOOL YEAR

Some tips to assist students to have a successful year

Set up a learning space. Desk, chair, quiet area. Year 7 students might need more monitoring until they have developed the skills to work independently (remove devices if needed. There are old fashioned textbooks that students can take home!)
Use a diary or planner to organise daily life. Homework, assignments, exam preparation, part-time job, sporting and family commitments can all be noted. (Paper or electronic)
Start tasks as soon as they are given out. This might mean just reading over it and writing questions they need to ask the teacher
Seek help if needed
AVOID distractions. Apps like Forest allows students to turn off distraction on their phone so they can concentrate.

HELPFUL REMINDERS

Your child may find the first few weeks a little hard. That is all normal! Please be positive with your child about settling sometimes takes some time. If, for any reason, you are worried, reach out to your child’s Connect teacher.
Friendships change FREQUENTLY in Middle School, particularly amongst our female population. Don’t panic, and if possible, try to listen but not get involved.
If you child is struggling in a particular class, reach out to that teacher. Often a quick phone call can assist the teacher to understand what is going on for your child.
HELP is everywhere at the College. Connect teachers, Year level co-ordinators, class teachers, College Counsellor are just a few people who can assist you and your child.

Year 7 Co-ordinator
Mr Robert Harris roberth@salc.qld.edu.au

Year 8 Co-ordinator
Mr Brendan Smith brendans@salc.qld.edu.au

Year 9 Co-ordinator
Mrs Melissa Saunders melissas@salc.qld.edu.au

The below is an infographic particularly aimed at the Year 7 families. The start of Secondary school can be a big change for many young people. The infographic shares some insights into what concerns our young people during this transition.

Feel free to contact me at any time.

Lisa Roper
Head of Middle School

Welcome to another year of learning. For those families joining us for the first time we extend a special welcome and pray that you find your time at St Andrews a blessing as we also feel blessed by your presence in our community. As a way of starting the year I wanted to highlight what learning and teaching are like in the Junior School.

WHAT IS LEARNING AND TEACHING LIKE IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL?

Learning and Teaching in the Junior School is grounded in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP). The PYP is our framework for how we learn and is seen in many facets of the Junior School program.

Learning and Teaching in the Junior School is transdisciplinary which means when students are learning through a Unit of Inquiry they are operating in many different domains (or disciplines) to reach deep understanding about our world. A single Unit of Inquiry (UOI) may hold elements of the science, literacy, history, ICT or the Arts curriculum (or any other Australian Curriculum learning area) as students inquire and build their conceptual understandings.

Learning and Teaching in the Junior School is conceptual as students link their learning to big ideas to scaffold their understanding of the world around them. In the PYP the following concepts are used to drive inquiries and student learnings:

FORM – What is it like?
FUNCTION – How does it work?
CAUSATION – Why is it as it is?
CHANGE – How is it transforming?
CONNECTION – How is it linked to other things?
PERSPECTIVE – What are the points of view?
RESPONSIBILITY – What are our obligations?

Learning and Teaching in the Junior School strives to live out our College Mission of:

Celebrating the Gospel, Nurturing the Individual, Empowering Lifelong Learners

While also living out the International Baccalaureate mission of:

The International Baccalaureate® aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.

These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

The following YouTube clip may be helpful in understanding how all these components work together What is an IB education? - YouTube

If you require further information please contact me through the Junior School Admin or via email karenk@salc.qld.edu.au

Karen Koehler
Deputy Head of Junior School PYP coordinator

Who would have thought that we would start the year the way we have!

First, we would like to say a big thank you to all our families who have put a brave face on and waved goodbye to their children using the side playground gate.

Not having families inside the centre to start the year was a difficult centre decision. However, by limiting the number of people in the building, the risk of COVID19 transmission is reduced. Your children have shown great strength and some tremendous confidence as a result. We will continue to work with you and support you during this separation process and we will be guided by you when you are ready to say goodbye. Some children need longer to say farewell for the day and we support this. We will review the process at the end of February once the peak has hopefully passed. We will continue to follow information shared by the Education and QLD Health Departments, our management group - QLECS and the College.

Our software Xplor is used for almost everything! Xplor helps us to keep families abreast of the latest news, alerts, policies, tasks to be completed, reminders and upcoming events - and that’s just the Communications Centre. We also use Xplor to communicate the daily program, sign in and out, fee statements and link all enrolments and attendances to the Family Assistance Office. If you have not received your login or it is not working, please get in touch with the office as soon as possible. Xplor have a range of short clips to assist families in getting the best of the program. Click on the link for more information. https://www.ourxplor.com/parent/

EMERGENCY DRILLS

Throughout the year, we will conduct emergency drills. This will include drills for fire, physical threat, dangerous animals, storm events etc. Please discuss these drills with your children as they occur. Our first drill for the year was a fire drill and was conducted on Friday, 3 February.

PAYMENTS

The primary caregiver, the parent, linked to the Family Assistance Office, is the only parent who can access the fee statement. Once your payment details are saved in Xplor the system automatically selects Thursday weekly. The payment day can be altered to fortnightly and or different days of the week. Please get in touch with Bradley or myself if you would like to make a change.

DENTAL 2 U

The dental team has been booked to visit the ELC twice this year. Information has been shared via Xplor and parent consent is required. Please note a booking form must be completed. Feel free to read the centre Dental Hygiene policy and provide feedback. Dental Policy.

The ELC has a range of policies in place to support the practice and operations of the service. These are available to read at any time. You can request a copy of a policy via email or in person.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

To ensure that we provide the best learning environments programs and meet government regulations, our team will complete a range of different professional developments during the year. This year the team as a collective have completed training on Enhancing Christian Curriculum and Practice, Incursions and Excursions and Child Protection training. This is just the start of our learning for the year. Each team member has a Professional Development Plan and goals that are in line with our mission statement of being lifelong learners and centre philosophy.

INCLUSION SUPPORT PROGRAM

This program aims to build the capacity and capability of educators to support participation and reduce barriers for all children through implementing quality inclusive practices. Pre Prep 2 currently has an additional educator to assist the group three days a week. Funding is linked to children but the idea of the funding is to support access for all children in allow for tailored smaller groups and assisting in supporting goals for the children. We would like to apply for some funding for short term in Pre Prep 1. If your child is in Pre Prep 1 and you would like to support the service in an application to engage in an additional educator to help the children’s transition to care, please request a copy of the permission forms. Further information can be accessed via this link: https://inclusionsupportqld.org.au/for-families

TUCKSHOP

The College Tuckshop is up and running for the term. Tuckshop runs term time only and not on pupil free days. To order from the Tuckshop, you will need to set up an account using MySchool Connect.

https://myschoolconnect.com.au/

The Tuckshop supports the ELC’s Food and Nutrition Policy.

Food & Nutrition Policy

PARENT FEEDBACK SURVEYS

Two Parent feedback surveys are currently open. We invite you to take part in helping us improve and reflect on practice. Philosophy Review Feedback Survey- Transition to Care

IMPORTANT DATES

FEBRUARY
Wednesday 23
Uncle Allan visit - 10:30 am

MARCH
Tuesday 1
Pancake Tuesday
Tuesday 15 – Monday 21
Harmony Week - wear orange
Thursday 17
Close the Gap day
Friday 18
Red Nose Day – wear red (gold coin donation)
Monday 21
Multiple Birth Awareness week

If you have any questions or need assistance at any time, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for a beautiful start to the year.

Bronwyn Waters
ELC Director

WELCOME TO PRE PREP 1

Can you remember a time when you went on an adventure? Adventures stir up excitement, yet often, risks are involved that stir up fear. I imagine this is what some of our Pre Prep 1 friends have felt over the last few weeks (possibly parents and families as well!). This may continue as the children navigate their new environment and develop strong connections with others. By getting out of comfort zones, we form confidence and trust in ourselves of our capabilities. Therefore, our priority has been to develop strong relationships with the children to feel safe and secure in the environment to take risks. We have seen the children progressively gain confidence in connecting with others and agency within the routine through this. It is beautiful to observe the children exclaiming ‘you’re my friend’ to a new connection and confidently engaging with the flexible routine. Each morning we thank God for the different things he has created. An extension of this has developed into the children drawing these expressions and hanging them within the room. We have also introduced the Unit of Inquiry for the term ‘Who We Are’. Initial provocations and discussions have been designed around the Unit of Inquiry to stimulate thought processes. The children have demonstrated their prior knowledge of the concepts and we will delve deeper into this within coming weeks.

The children developed a strong interest when they noticed our native tickle beehives. This extended into a ‘bee’ exploration table within our room. We saw the children using this environment to develop their language skills when they imagined the bees to be characters within their narrated play. Furthermore, cognitive development skills were supported when the children were invited to build homes for the bees using loose parts and wooden blocks.

REMINDERS

We value your communication with us and invite you to send us an email to communicate the needs and interests of your child elcpp1@salc.qld.edu.au. Please also bring in a family photo if you have not already, along with the returned ‘all about me’ sheet. This will be used in the coming weeks for an experience for all the children to be involved in.

Pre Prep 1 Team

Stephanie and Lily

WELCOME TO PRE PREP 2

Although we have not yet had the opportunity to meet some of you, we are so proud of how well the children have coped and adapted to the current situation and drop off at the gate. Throughout this first month, we have focused on building strong relationships with the children to ensure they feel safe and secure. This term, we will focus on building a sense of identity and belonging within the room (also relating to our Unit of Inquiry). We have been using various strategies to develop relationships such as; daily transitions with partners, activities and group time games that build a confident self-identity and looking at family cultures and traditions. In addition, we are using the 'All About Me' sheets that most of you have returned and these will assist us in our planning for your child’s goal. The first month of any child’s transition can be a challenging time. Over this period, please be reassured that we will communicate your child’s progress through photos and updates on Xplor and via email. Please also feel free to contact us at any time.

You may hear lots of talk about our Unit of inquiry and the story about 'bucket filling'. 'Bucket filling' is a term that has become a popular metaphor when talking about positive attitudes and behaviour. We use the concept of bucket filling to educate children about feelings and emotions. The underlying message is that each person carries with them an invisible bucket and when that bucket is full, the person is feeling happy, confident, secure, calm and content. On the other hand, if a person is carrying an empty bucket, they feel upset and unhappy. This is something we use daily and it will hopefully become apart of your child’s daily language too.

This month saw the celebration of Chinese New Year and the Year of the Tiger. The children were mesmerised by Chinese dragon dancing art, so we created our own version using white material. The children painted the sheet and we then danced around the playground to the sound of drums and tambourines. It truly was a magic moment for the children.

Finally, ask your child what they did today! Although most of them might just say play, we can assure you that they did lots more. Growing and learning can be fun. In fact, playing helps children learn about themselves and the world around them, while developing essential physical, social, language and communication skills.

Playing alone or with others builds confidence and helps children understand where they fit in. We look forward to lots of playing and lots of getting to know your children.

REMINDERS

Please ensure you pack a separate piece of fruit/vegetable/yoghurt either clearly labelled or in a container.

Pre Prep 2 Team

Teresa, Kim, Stacey and Estela

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Issue 1, Friday 11 February 2022

In This Newsletter

Chaplain's Chat

Pastor Reid

Principal's Pen

From the Principal

Secondary School

From the Deputy Principal Head of Secondary School

From the Head of Senior School

From the Head of Middle School

Secondary Library News CRC

Junior School

From the Deputy Principal Head of Junior School

From the Deputy Head of Junior School Pastoral

Junior School Library News

Early Learning Centre

From the Director of the Early Learning Centre

Junior Kindy News

Pre Prep 1 News

Pre Prep 2 News

Sports

Sports News

Community

News from the First Aid Station

ONLINE Parenting course

Uniform Shop

Chaplain's Chat

Principal's Pen

Secondary School

Junior School

Early Learning Centre

Sports

Community

Chaplain's Chat

Principal's Pen

Secondary School

Junior School

Early Learning Centre

Sports

Community