THE KOKODA CHALLENGE - AN EXERCISE IN CULTURAL ALIGNMENT 

St Andrews is readily identified within and well beyond the College community for our annual commitment to and performance in the Kokoda Challenge.  The Kokoda Challenge raises funds for school-aged children who participate in Youth Programs run by the Kokoda Youth Foundation.  It provides experiential programs that engage and inspire young Australians to reach their full potential.

Involvement in the Program and the Challenge itself is based on the four cornerstones of the Kokoda Campaign in WW2 – Mateship, Courage, Endurance, Sacrifice.  The Spirit of Kokoda demonstrates that when we work together, look out for each other, and show commitment to a task, things that at first seem impossible, suddenly become achievable.

St Andrews Lutheran College committed to this event since 2007 and has been there ever since.  There are four major school-based events – Brisbane 30K and 48K, and Gold Coast 48K and 96K.  Teams comprise four students (from our Senior School) and an adult leader.  Over the years, we have repeatedly won many of these “races” and hold most of the course records.  Even though there are teams of 5, at St Andrews that represents teams within a bigger team.  This year it was a team of 64 students and 16 leaders, 80 of us with a shared purpose.  Special mention also to our Support Crews who sit in the cold to embrace us and re-fuel us in our scamper to get back on the trail.

Our ‘Program’ is held in high regard in the broader community and is something we are rightly proud of.  The students (and indeed the staff) put a lot in, and they get a lot back, irrespective of whether their team finishes amongst the elite.  At our annual training camp, we speak in turn about ‘why’ we are doing it.  For some it is to stretch themselves physically and mentally, for others it is camaraderie, for others related to family links to battles like Kokoda, and for others simply to show themselves, others and family ‘what they’ve got’.

As is almost invariably the case, this year the aspect that we are most proud of us is that 64 students started in events, and 64 students completed events – that’s the spirit and is clear testimony to the commitment and quality of preparation.  We compete to complete!  The Challenge is physically brutal and mentally taxing.  It helps us learn about ourselves and fosters deeper compassion for others.  It honours our forebears and unearths tomorrow’s leaders.  It matters.  That is the Kokoda Challenge and that is St Andrews.

As an aside, you may be interested to know a precis of our 2021 results – in the Brisbane 30k we had five teams, all finishing in the top 15, including first and third (which was also the first all female team).  In the GC 48, with nearly 200 school teams in total, we had 10 teams, with 6 of those finishing thirteenth or better, including first, second, fourth, sixth, and ninth – phenomenal really.  In the GC96, our team, none with prior experience, finished 4^th and in under 20 hours.

The SALC Kokoda Program certainly encompasses Mateship, Courage, Endurance, Sacrifice.  

It is worth the pain, though I think it’s time to hang up my trail shoes!

Peace and Grace

David Bliss
Principal

Christmas in July! It is a concept I have bumped into a little over the decades… an opportunity to enjoy something of the Northern Hemisphere style of Christmas at a time where our climate is more conducive to hot roast meals and maybe even a chance for some snow! – Down South anyway. A quick ‘google’ of it revealed a special ‘Christmas’ music event on Saturday 24 July at QPAC in Brisbane and other events in various communities around our nation.

What a great idea – celebrating Christmas more often. We have embraced it at the College courtesy of where we are up to in ‘God’s Story’. Our focus in College worship times throughout Term 3 is on Jesus and the different aspects of all he said and did while with us on earth 2,000 years ago. With this being the case, we have begun at the beginning with his birth. As we have investigated and celebrated this in chapels the word Christmas was not really used very much but the wonder of God coming to be with us – Immanuel, was certainly embraced.

Our Junior celebration proclaimed how Jesus is the Greatest Gift Ever. There are many other wonderful gifts we can receive over our life-time, but all of the pale into insignificance compared to the love and promises that are ours through God coming amongst us as one of us in the person of Jesus. 

Middle and Senior school students explored some of what we see Jesus up to today in 2021 in our community and there were some wonderful insights such as – 

We see Him in the care displayed by people – He is working through them. (Year 9 Student) and 

His qualities / goodness shines through us (Year 7 student). 

These sorts of understandings help illustrate how trust in Jesus impacts our community in tangible living and giving ways. A further insight that is so important is Jesus orchestrates forgiveness amongst us when things invariably go awry. No matter how well we ‘do life’ things do get bent out of shape at times because of our self-centredness and it is such a gift to have Jesus’ rescue us through his work in our midst. 

Our School sign proclaimed last week that Jesus is the gift that keeps on giving.  Our community benefits enormously through celebrating Jesus being born every day – thankfully, we don’t attach all the who-ha of the December version with it but we do have the privilege of having Him with us through the work of His Spirit and our following of Him as Lord and Saviour and this is the greatest gift all of us can receive.

Graeme Schache
Lay Chaplain and Middle/Senior School Teacher

GROWING WITHIN AND SERVING BEYOND 

This week IC’21 launched for selected students Years 7-12. This program builds entrepreneurial skills and mindsets and brings mentors from industry into the College to work alongside our students and staff over a 10-week program. In its fourth year, the program has led many of our students into social-enterprises and small business endeavours. 

Last week, IC’20 spearheaded by Middle School students, Zoe F, Annie R and Laila B and supported by Mrs Myles and Ms Yeo travelled to Melbourne, (Laila attended virtually from the GC) to pitch their business ideas to business executives. Whilst the trip was cut short due to COVID restrictions, it was an incredible experience full of innovation, strategic planning, agility and rich learning.

Last week, a group of our Year 9 and Year 10 students visited the Currumbin Community Special School with Mr Nelson as part of our Service-Learning.  This was an opportunity for our students to read to students, connect with community and support others in their learning. Last Friday night, a number of Year 11 students assisted with the Rosie’s Student Engagement Program, with the support of Mr Schache.  This was another Service-Learning initiative and an opportunity for our students to grow within and serve beyond. 

CELEBRATING ACADEMIC SUCCESS

We celebrated our Middle School academic success achievement and endeavour this week during their Middle School Awards Assembly. We will celebrate our Senior School next week. I’d like to acknowledge the hard work, academic mindsets and agility of our learners. 

Our Year 12 students and teachers are busily working through the remainder of senior curriculums and preparing for the Mock External Exams later this term (Weeks 8 and 9). 

This week, we also held our virtual Senior Studies Expo and I encourage conversations at home and at school with teachers around career pathways and subject selections. Particularly for our Year 9 and 10 students selecting new subjects for 2022.

CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY 

Last week we were delighted to be able to hold our Inter-House Athletics Carnival at St Andrews. With rain to start the carnival, the weather improved throughout the day as did the House Spirit, comradery and healthy House competition. I’d like to acknowledge our students on their athleticism, House Spirit and wonderful participation throughout the day.

Congratulations to Jubi House who narrowly won the overall shield. Thank you to Mrs Wood who organised the carnival, the ground staff, the teaching staff, and most importantly the students for their wonderful contributions on what was a superb day.

Congratulations to our Kokoda Teams, who after 6 months of training and growing together completed the challenge last weekend.  I am in awe of the 60 students and many committed staff who through incredible commitment and determination completed this event all in very impressive times.

This week we held our Year 7-12 Three-way Conferences (Parent Teacher Interviews), online again via Teams. Thank you to the teachers, parents and students who connected for these meetings. If you were unable to attend and have questions about your child’s academic progress and development, please contact teachers directly as they will be all too happy to hear from you. 

Thank you to all the students and staff for their stellar efforts and smooth transition back into the routines of College life. If I can help you or your child, please reach out on adeler@salc.qld.edu.au

LOOKING AHEAD

Best wishes to our language students in the MLTAQ Griffith University Speech Contest on Sunday.

On Thursday, 29 July, the College will have a Crazy Sock Day. This is a fundraiser for Super Max and Bryce.  More details to come, but I encourage students to don their craziest socks and bring a gold coin donation.

Best wishes for the term ahead,

Adele Ramsay  Deputy Principal Head of Secondary School

TERM 3 FOCUS

THE VIRTUE OF TEMPERANCE (the Character Strengths of Self-regulation, Forgiveness, Humility and Prudence)

Temperance is the virtue of balance, that is being in control of our behaviours and instincts which can help us from being arrogant selfish or behaving/living in excess. This is not an easy or natural state for our young people whose frontal cortex (the thinking and reasoning part of the brain) is still developing. Thus, the decisions we need to make such as, putting another hour or so into study rather than spending some mindless time on social media, is difficult for your average 15-year-old simply because of their brain stage of development. However, the good news is that this virtue can be developed simply through focusing on the strengths of self-regulation and prudence. For example, set goals, stay accountable to those, ask others for help with achieving your goals and occasionally deny yourself something. To practice what I preach I did not have my bowl of ice cream after dinner and I feel very proud of myself. Other strengths to focus on include forgiveness and humility – more on that next week. 

YEAR 11 CAMP REFLECTION 

In the last week of Term 2 Mr Nelson, Ms Yeo, Ms Kimlin, Mr Schache, Mr Dart and myself had the pleasure of going to Emu Gully with the Year 11’s for our annual Year 11 Leadership Camp. I can honestly say it was one of the easiest and most fun camps I have had the pleasure of attending. What a great bunch of young people we got to share 3 days with. In fact, I was having so much fun that I organised to do an online professional development workshop out there so I didn’t have to drive back early and miss out. I think that speaks volumes as to how great it was. 

It was also heartening to note that many of our students also seemed to benefit from the experience and I would like to share this personal reflection from one of them.

 “I just wanted to thank you so much for organising the camp and giving us all the opportunity to grow. Personally, I met so many new people that I have now become so close with and trust so much, and I’m sure everyone else did as well. I was challenged mentally and physically which really helped me discover myself and helped me bond with the people around me. I had so much fun and enjoyed every second, so thank you for the opportunity to participate in amazing camps like this”. 

Kealie D Year 11 Student

CONGRATULATIONS TO:

• Matt H in Year 11. I was recently contacted by Mr Phil Buddee (Junior Vice President of the Burleigh Heads Soccer Club) who wanted to give Matt H a shout out. Mr Buddee reported that over the recent weekend - “Matt made his debut playing for Burleigh Heads Soccer Club in the Gold Coast Men’s Premier League Soccer competition. Matt is one of only a few junior players who have played their way into the senior competition as a result of his commitment and fantastic attitude. BHSC is very proud to be able to support a quality individual (both on and off the field) such as Matt and hope that you will get as much satisfaction from his development and success as we do”. What a great shout out for Matt and we at SALC couldn’t agree more.

• Ivy M in Year 11. Over the recent holidays Ivy was selected in the Under 18 Girls Queensland Hockey Squad. In February 2022 Ivy will compete with at least 5 other goal keepers for a place in the Queensland team. Keep training hard Ivy and good luck!

• Remy F in Year 11. In the last week of Term 2, participated in the National Swimming Olympic Trials for the 50m Freestyle. While Remy was not successful she has re-set her goals and is pushing to achieve a new PB for this event – under 25 seconds. Go hard Remy! 

• All of our Kokoda Teams who have trained for nearly 6 months and put all that hard work to the test over the weekend. Having done these events several times I can tell you it is no easy feat to stay on your feet for 48kms or 96kms. Also, a big thanks to the staff and parents who were team leaders and made this opportunity for our Senior School students possible. You have all earned a rest.

If you have any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me on tanias@salc.qld.edu.au

Tania Stewart - Head of Senior School

Welcome back to Term 3. The students have come back to school engaged in their classes and working well. I encourage all families to check if their children need more stationery items to work through until the end of the year. It might be timely for a new exercise book or pens. It is also important that every Middle School student has a Casio scientific calculator for every Maths lesson.

Teachers are currently putting assessment dates into the calendar. Once these have been finalised, an overview of the term will be sent to students and families. It is worth printing this out and placing a copy where your child studies as well as on the fridge. It is good for families to monitor these dates to assist their child with time management and due dates.

Over this year I have mentioned a few courses and seminars for families with sons. In this Bulletin, I am including a flyer for families of daughters. Parenting teenage daughters can be both delightful and challenging. Knowing and understanding their development might give you a few tips on how to better manage this period of growth.

Please contact me if you have any questions or queries regarding your children.

Lisa Roper
Head of Middle School

On the holidays, Zoe F, Laila B and Annie R joined zoom meetings with Xplor staff to meet and exchange information about the ideas they pitched at last years IC’20 event.  COVID lockdown meant the students and their parents had to join from home instead of meeting at the College. On Thursday, 15 July the students travelled to Melbourne for the weekend to meet face to face with their teams. Each student has a team of 12-14 staff with varying skills from marketing, prototyping, coding and sales, dedicated to developing their idea.  

We would like to thank Mark Woodland, Kim Johnston-Main and Xplor staff for making this amazing opportunity for our students possible.  Xplor, is a globally-recognised company and top education start-up innovating software that’s sole purpose is to make education better. 

The IC program is an extra-curricular program run on a Friday afternoon (from 23 July – 22 October this year) to develop entrepreneurial capacity in our students.  All students from Years 7-12 are invited to apply.

Terri Myles 
Head of Business

BrisScience: Illumination Dark Energy

Hear from renowned astrophysicist, Professor Tamara Davis at BrisScience on Monday 2 August at 6:30pm. 

BrisScience is a public lecture series hosted by UQ Science, held monthly at The Edge, State Library of Queensland.

Facebook event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/177196614457725/

Dr Gordon Naidoo
Middle/Senior Teacher

PROVOCATIONS

It has been an absolutely fantastic start to Term 3. The teachers have worked really hard to provide engaging provocations to tune the students into their next unit of work. The Year 5 students went on a trip to Eureka Farm to participate in role-plays, tent making, observation and mapping activities all combined to engross your students in the life of a simulated New South Wales goldfield township of 1854. This will help them to tune into the Unit of Inquiry with the central idea, significant events shape a nation. Not only did they learn a lot about this significant event in Australian history, they will have lots of questions to explore further. 

In Year 1, the teachers dressed up as astronauts and transformed their rooms into deep space. When the students walked in they were filled with awe and excitement. This has helped them tune into their Unit of Inquiry with the central idea, space exploration impacts our society and environment. The students showed me their space badges and couldn’t stop talking about space. The questions they had were very thoughtful and they are looked into what they are going to study. Other classes have had artefacts delivered from Queensland Museum linked to their Units of Inquiry which have caused great intrigue. 

By having such strong provocations the students have developed a strong interest in the Units they will be studying. Not only will they be developing greater knowledge of the topics studied but a deeper understanding. They will also be developing skills and capabilities that are transferable to all aspects of their learning. 

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Congratulations to Wardjam who won the recent Athletics Carnival. It was a great day of competition and sportsmanship and there was a lovely atmosphere as the students tried their best. 

FATHER AND FATHER FIGURES’ NIGHT

After the successful launch of The Fathering Project in Term 2, we have arranged for 2 events this term. They are:

• Father and Father figures only night on 26 July beginning at 5:15pm. We will all meet together in Upper E Block (E Block is beside JS office in Middle School). We will break off into smaller groups to have a group discussion around connection with our kids. The topics for discussion are listed below.  We will aim to finish by 6:00pm. 
• Fathers and Father figures and their children on Monday 23 August. This event will be held in the MPH and will begin at 5:15pm. We will start with a sausage sizzle and then have a guest speaker from Solar Buddy. This is the charity we raised money for in our walkathon last term. After hearing from the guest speaker, we will be assembling the solar powered lights ready for shipment to Vanuatu. Fathers and father figures will assist their children put together the lights. We aim to be finished by 6:30pm. With the success of the walkathon last term, we have raised enough money to purchase nearly 600 lights and help 600 families. 

a. Tell them you love them b. Unconditional love c. Making time for your kids d. Tune in and engage e. Be there for difficult times

If you are able to attend one or both of these events, please complete the registration details below. 

https://forms.office.com/r/j6bcTPDuhj 

As always, St Andrews is an inclusive school. These events are not limited to males or dads. These events are open to all people who have a significant role to play in the lives of the children at our school. 

PARENTS AND FRIENDS TRIVIA NIGHT

In response to the recent survey conducted for the Parents and Friends, they have decided to run a community event. The Trivia Night will be held on Saturday 14 August at 6:30pm in the MPH. This will be a community event and while there is a small cover charge to cover the costs for the evening and to buy prizes, the focus is on having a good time. I hear that the staff are putting together some cracking teams. Get your teams together for this wonderful event. Bookings are via Trybooking on the following link https://www.trybooking.com/BRW...

INTERNATIONAL MINDEDNESS

The International Baccalaureate PYP describes international mindedness as ‘a view of the world in which people see themselves connected to the global community and assume a sense of responsibility towards its members’ (From Principles into Practice – ibo.org).

 Dr Chris Muller (an independent educational consultant specialising in international education) proposes that, “Students in today’s schools, growing up to be global leaders of the future, will require a remarkable insight into people and cultures across the world, and an unprecedented concern for the well-being of the world community.” At St Andrews we strive towards including global perspectives within our curriculum to assist our students in becoming internationally-minded in life. We do this by ensuring we offer students a diverse cultural range of resources and by exploring a range of multi-cultural perspectives when appropriate. Both the IB learner profile (ten attributes – inquirer, thinker, communicator, knowledgeable, caring, balanced, risk-taker, reflective, principled and open-minded) and the approaches to learning provide the dispositions and foundational skills required for the development and demonstration of international mindedness. We support and encourage our students to be internationally minded learners who take action for positive change. (I have developed a resource for parents to assist you with ideas on how you can support the development of the learner profile at home. If you would like to receive a copy of the PDF, please send me an email jacquif@salc.qld.edu.au and I will happily provide you with this resource.)

Another way we embrace international mindedness is by celebrating our school community. All students in the Junior School have the opportunity to learn Japanese as an additional language. As a school we wanted to embrace the unique Japanese culture they are learning about and take it further by organising a special day (Japanese Cultural Day), welcoming the expertise of our Japanese parents, students and those in our local community. Students were offered a range of experiences from Taiko drumming, immersion in soccer with a Japanese Gold Coast Knights player, sushi making, origami and traditional Japanese dancing. This day paved the way for our students to discover and interact with the Japanese community beyond what is possible in the classroom!

ICAS COMPETITIONS – YEARS 4 TO 6

Just a reminder that if you would like your child to participate in this year’s ICAS competitions, please follow the link provided below where you will be able to register and pay for your child’s entry to the ICAS competitions 2021. Your parent page link is: https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps

When registering your child for the competitions you will need our unique College access code which is provided in the parent letter sent out in Week 1 of this term.

We are anticipating an exciting term ahead as students take a deep dive into their learning!

“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us.” (Acts 17:26-27)

Jacqueline Faulkner
Deputy Head of Junior School & PYP Coordinator

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

What a wonderful way to kick off Term 3! Our annual Year 4 to 6 Athletics Carnival was a great day filled with sunshine and loads of participation. It was excellent to see students getting involved and everyone’s smiling faces. Congratulations to Wardjam House on winning the House Trophy and everyone who participated and to our successful age champions. 

AGE CHAMPIONS

9 Years – Maddie T & Munroe N & Max D

10 Years – Poppy C & Max H

11 Years – Summer J & Thomas B

12 Years – Leela M & Eli F 

Casey West
Junior School PSPE Teacher / Sports Coordinator

YEARS 7-12 ATHLETICS CARNIVAL 

Last Thursday we battled through the weather to complete our Year 7-12 Athletics Carnival. After a rain interrupted start it was so pleasing to see the high participation of our students. Wardjam led the way with an inspiring war cry however it was Jubi House who took out the House points on the day. This year we gave a special tribute to Katie Hayward who only left the school five years ago but will represent Australia in the upcoming weeks in the 20km Woman’s Walk. Congratulations to all our talented athletes who were named as Age Champions on the day. 

2021 AGE CHAMPIONS - BOYS

2021 AGE CHAMPIONS -GIRLS

St Andrews entered two Netball teams in the Hinterland District Netball Association Carnival last Sunday. The College competed in the 15s and 17s age groups. We were very young for both these divisions but wanted to challenge ourselves. The girls did amazingly well, playing up to 7 games each throughout the day. Our 15s girls only dropped 2 games all day with the last one a nail-biting finish resulting in a loss by one goal on the siren. It was a fantastic result overall for the girls, placing third.

The 17s team went through the Carnival undefeated continuing the form they produced at QISSN. There were a couple of tight games throughout the day with the last being won by a single goal to seal victory for the girls. A huge thank you to all the parents that came and supported the girls throughout the day. It was wonderful to see each team support each other. The 17s final win was definitely the result of their cheer squad, the 15s team. 

Both of these teams will compete at the South Coast Carnival next month. Stay tuned for more results.

KOKODA

Last weekend saw 11 St Andrews’ teams take on the Gold Coast Kokoda Challenge. After 6 months of training and preparation, the teams were nervous and excited to finish the experience well. Congratulations to everyone involved - between the Brisbane and Gold Coast events, we had 16 teams start and 16 teams finish. Considering the dropout rate in Kokoda events is about 50%, having 100% of St Andrews members complete the event is an outstanding achievement. A huge thanks to all the leaders and support crews. 

Casey West
Junior School PSPE Teacher / Sports Coordinator

CELEBRATING STUDENT SUCCESS

Colby W

Colby competed in three categories at Starbound during the holidays.  He was awarded two thirds for vocals and a 2nd for his musical performance of Giants In The Sky.  He was also awarded Most Promising Vocalist for the entire competition. Well done Colby.

Lylah H

Starbound

Jazz - 2nd
Contemporary - 3rd
Star Winners Challenge - 3rd 

Future Stars

Jazz - 2nd
Contemporary - Highly Commended 

Evie K

Dance Life Unite  

Evie danced ‘Falling Like the Stars’ in the lyrical section and received 2nd and ‘Her’ in the Open section and also got 2nd! She also received 1st Contemporary, 1st Tap, 1st Jazz and 3rd in the Championship Section.

TERM 3 DATE CLAIMERS

Week 3

Monday 26 July, Vocal Concert 1, 3:30 – 5:00pm 

Wednesday 28 July, Vocal Concert 2, 3:30 – 5:00pm 

Week 4

Tuesday 3 August, Primary Choirs at Gold Coast Eisteddfod

Thursday 5 August, Secondary Choirs at Gold Coast Eisteddfod

Saturday 7 August, Dance Showcase

Week 6

Monday 16 August, Speech and Drama Year 6 and 7, 3:30 – 4:30pm  

Tuesday 17 August, Speech and Drama Year 6 and 7, 3:30 – 4:30pm  

Week 7

Wednesday 25 August, Film Festival

Thursday 26 August, Year 2 PAT Concert

Week 9

Wednesday 8 September, Lion King Tech Day

Thursday 9 September, Lion King Matinee (Students only) and Evening 

Friday 10 September, Lion King Matinee (Students only) and Evening 

Week 10

Thursday 16September, Years 3-4 Piano Concert

Cilla Scott
Head of Arts

Welcome back to Term 3.  The P&F have a few events this term.  On Saturday, 14 August, we are hosting a social Trivia Night. We will not have raffles this night, the idea is a fun social night for parents. Be sure to book your table or buy a seat and meet some new parents. 

Father’s Day stall will be held Monday, 30 and Tuesday, 31 August in the bus shelter before school. 

 Back by popular demand, the Annual P&F Raffle where you could win school fees for a year will be launching soon. Ticket books will be sent home with your youngest student on Friday, 13 August.

MEETINGS

We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming meetings:

* Wednesday, 18 August 7:00pm

* AGM Wednesday, 10 November 7:00pm

If you would like to add an item to the agenda, please email pandf@salc.qld.edu.au

JULY

Sunday 25 

MLTAQ Griffith University Contest

Monday 26

Champions of Champions Futsal

Mid Year Concert MS SS PAT Vocals Concert 1

Fathering Project 5:30pm

Tuesday 27

Champions of Champions Futsal

Wednesday 28

Mid Year Concert MS SS PAT Vocals Concert 2

Prep 2022 Information Night 5:15pm

Thursday 29

Crazy Sock Day-Super Max and Bryce

Friday 30

12 FF Maths Tutorial

AUGUST

Monday 2

10-19 Years Hinterland Green Athletics

Tuesday 3

Junior School Choir HOTA

Wednesday 4

Mufti Fundraiser

P&F Executive Meeting

Thursday 5

Senior Choir Gold Coast Eisteddfod

Saturday 7 

Dance Showcase Event -6:00pm