From the Deputy Principal Head of Secondary School

Our College Crest – Luther’s rose

You may recall, last newsletter I wrote about the St Andrews’ Cross within the College Crest. This edition, I wish to share with you a little about Luther’s Rose, the emblem in the centre of our College Crest. It was a seal designed by Martin Luther himself and is a symbol of his theology, and therefore a symbol of Lutheran theology.
The black cross in a heart reminds us that faith in Jesus Christ, the crucified, saves us. As Romans 10:10 declares, “For one who believes from the heart will be justified". Although the cross is black, which can represent pain, it is at the centre of a red heart. The heart does not corrupt nature, that is, it does not kill but keeps alive. In Romans 1:17 we are told, the just shall live by faith, but by faith in the crucified. As Luther himself once wrote, the heart stands in the middle of a white rose, to show that faith gives joy, comfort, and peace.
In other words, it places the believer into a white, joyous rose, for faith does not give peace and joy like the world gives (John 14:27). In writing about his seal or rose, Luther also declared that such a rose should stand in a sky-blue field, symbolising that such joy in spirit and faith is a beginning of the heavenly future joy, which begins already, but is grasped in hope, not yet revealed. This rose as a seal, also has a golden ring around it. This symbolises the blessings in that heaven lasts forever and has no end. Such blessedness is exquisite, beyond all joy and goods, just as gold is the most valuable, most precious and best metal.
Celebrating our Young Gold Coast Australian of the Year
We are so pleased to celebrate with Year 10 student Bryce U, who was recently awarded the Gold Coast's 2022 Young Australian of the Year. Bryce was amongst other truly inspirational nominees who have significantly and positively changed the world around us. Therefore, it was an incredible honour for Bryce to be awarded in this way. This award came as a result of Bryce's Super Max Turtle project sharing love, hope, happiness and comfort with children in treatment for cancer and their families.
END OF SEMESTER REPORTS
Reports will be published through Parent Lounge from Wednesday 22 June. The reports will include Year 7-10 reports, Year 11 Unit One Reports and Year 12 Unit Three.
A VERY POSITIVE END TO SEMESTER ONE
Our Year 9 Boys have now returned from GOOGA. What an incredible growing experience it has been for these young people.
Over the last three weeks, we have also had students involved in a huge array of activities. There include; the Gold Coast Readers Cup challenge, the Senior School Languages Immersion Day, Year 8 Business Market Stall, Year 9 and 10 FUSE Cup – Esports, recently hosted here in the CCI, Drama Festival Play Showcase, Year 8 and 10 Debating, a Year 12 Movie Night, a Year 8 Japanese Obento lunch, Year 11 Camp and a Year 12 Hospitality excursion to Sea World.
In Sport, over and above our Thursday afternoons sports program, our students have competed in, the Vicki Wilson Cup - a premier Netball competition for our Secondary School netballers, the Northern Rivers Futsal competition for our U19 Boys and U14 Girls and the T20 Challenge – a statewide Cricket competition. We also wish our netballers well in the QISSN competition in Mackay over the holidays.
What a positive and engaging term it has been!
Adele Ramsay
Deputy Principal Head of Secondary School