In this newsletter article, I would like to break with tradition and share with you an upcoming opportunity in the September holidays. At this time, Lutheran Youth of Queensland are holding a brand new camping opportunity called Springboard for Years 3 to 6 and 7 to 12 respectively. Lutheran Youth of Queensland are recognised as Industry Leaders in Christian camping circles having run successful camps and programs for decades. It is a short 3-day (2 night) camp that is sure to put a smile on the face of your child(ren) all within a positive and supportive Christian environment.

I share this opportunity with you because I fundamentally believe in the value Lutheran Youth of Queensland put into all their camps. I wouldn’t be the person I am today had I not attended one of their camps as a teenager. Another important reason is because I will be the Camp Pastor on the Junior School version of the camp (Years 3 to 6). Hence, if your child would benefit from a familiar face, I will be there, together with my children, who are going as camp participants.

I am excited to share this opportunity with you, especially after all the cancellations and postponements we have encountered as a community. If you would like to take up this opportunity please visit www.lyq.org.au/springboard and if you wouldn’t mind sending me an email (nathang@salc.qld.edu.au) and letting me know your plans as well that will be helpful. If there is enough interest, I will organise transport from St Andrews to and from the camp.

Nathan Glover

College Pastor

I truly have the best job in the world! Even in these interesting and rapidly changing times that are 2020, when so much is changing, my days are punctuated by what remains - an abundance of joy, energy and excitement that comes from walking alongside our students while they are of learning. Our staff too, continue to adapt, excel and simply care deeply for each and every one of the students in their charge: immense gratitude and acclaim to all members of the team. 

Over the weekend I read Independent Schools Queensland’s (ISQ) Report – A Catalyst for Change. ISQ have identified six significant areas that when collectively addressed, help to create contemporary (futures-focused) and fit-for purpose schools that support the experiences young people need to flourish into the future. 

• A set of new capabilities and skills which include creativity, curiosity, critical thinking, entrepreneurship, collaboration, communication, growth mindset, resilience and cultural literacy. 
• Integration of discipline-based learning, general capabilities, and cross-curriculum priorities balanced with the time and resources to leave space for the art of brilliant teaching. 
• Meaningful tasks and assessment and building learner profiles that include a broad perspective of well-rounded individuals.  
• Learners being actively engaged in their learning. Student voice and agency to make decisions about their learning with autonomy to inform what, how and where they learn. 
• Dedicated time and resources to help students to: learn to socialise, work and live wisely, productively and responsibly in a digital world as well as the ‘real’ world. 
• Opportunities to co-create learning events and processes alongside highly relational learning leaders (teachers and other) in order to create greater opportunities for learning. 

I am simply thrilled to see the ISQ findings align with our intentions at St Andrews of educating the whole person and our desire to continue to look at our practices and structures to meet our students needs. 

The College is currently in the process of strategic planning and if you are interested in being part of a parent ‘round table’ consultation group or you have any general feedback please email debbief@salc.qld.edu.au  

STUDENTS LEADING THE WAY 

This weekend a number of our Senior School students will take part in Walk My Way, walking 26 kilometres from the College to Rainbow Bay in support of the Australian Lutheran World Service’s Grace Project which is assisting refugee children in Africa to access education ($26 a year per child). The whole College engaged in activities this week to raise awareness and funds which at last count was approximately $2,600. Wouldn’t it be something to raise the funds equal to sending one refugee child to school for the year for every ‘Andrian’! We might just get there! 

The Middle School students and staff are looking forward to hosting new students to Middle School and their families at our Virtual Middle School Expo next Tuesday from 5:00pm. They have spent so much time preparing their videos and are passionate about sharing their learning journey. I’d like to thank Mrs Roper, Mrs Schaefer, the Library staff and Middle School teachers for making this such an exciting journey for our students. The link will be shared via social media and parents email next Monday. 

Next Thursday will be our Year 7 – 12 Athletics carnival. While this event is closed to parents, we look forward to capturing much of the day digitally and sharing the experience as a whole Secondary School. 

Virginia Warner
Deputy Principal Head of Secondary School

POSITIVE EDUCATION - THE POWER OF GIVING

And just when you might be feeling a little hopeless, one of our favourite speakers on hope, goals, dreaming big – Glen Gerreyn from the HopeFull Institute shares some words of wisdom. Glen’s 7 tips for these ‘interesting’ times:

1. It doesn’t matter what you believe. What matters is how you act – don’t believe everything you feel. Feelings are not facts. You might feel hopeless, useless etc but that does not mean you are. Just because you feel bad right now doesn’t mean things are bad or that you will always feel this way. You are not your thoughts and this too shall pass.
2. Be careful what you say – words have power. They set our expectations, send messages to our brains. Watch your self-talk – it can either create boundaries or open our minds.
3. Find a way to laugh – it is the best medicine, relieves tension and boosts your immune system.
4. What water are you letting in your boat? There will always be someone smarter, richer or more talented than you. But if you want to be unique and stand out from the crowd, rise above the circumstances and foster hope, that’s when you are more creative, resilient and empowered. Guard your heart against the negative thoughts, make the decision to be positive. All the water in the oceans cannot sink a ship unless the water gets in – don’t let the oceans of fear and doubt in.
5. Go from what is wrong to what is strong – focus on your strengths and what you are good at. Remember your character strengths and use them.
6. Be filled with gratitude – our inclination towards a focus on the negatives means we pay too much attention to what is not working and lean towards judgement, blame and criticism. Lean in and reach for curiosity, generosity and compassion. Buddhist proverb – “enough is a feast”.
7. Focus on service. Switch your focus to how you can be of service to others – then the whole world will open up. It is easy to look in and worry about ourselves but amazing things happen when we look out as you are happier and healthier. In this time, we need more compassion and empathy.

To read the full article and access lots of great resources go to the following link: https://tinyurl.com/y2zzlkje

Congratulations to:

• Our Senior School students who continue to engage with their learning in uncertain times. They are a pleasure to spend time with on a daily basis. 

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

It is very hard to believe we are in August, Week 4 Term 3. The students have settled back into the ‘school’ routine. It might be timely to check with your child how their school supplies are going. Many students in my Year 9 Math’s class need a new exercise book and pens. It is also important for all students to have a scientific calculator with them for all Math’s lessons.

The Year 7 cohort have been participating in several personal development sessions. A very important topic of ‘friendships’ have been explored. 

• The girls are looking at ‘how to be a good friend’, ‘how to make friends’ and what to do if there has been a ‘FRIENDSHIP SHUFFLE’. The friendship shuffles normally occur during Year 5 to Year 8. This is where your daughter might have been very close with one group of girls and then suddenly there has been a change. This shuffling is very normal! 
• The boys have been looking at ‘who’s on your team’. They have started to identify which people are in different circles around them and which important people are there to help them in times of need.

Puberty and what happens during this time is also being explored throughout the term.

The Year 8 cohort participated in a live streamed event last week looking at homelessness. As part of the upcoming CS assignment, the Year 8’s are being asked to look beyond themselves to see how they can help an organisation in the community. A spokesperson from Orange Sky Laundry spoke to the cohort via Zoom. The year level will participate in the Sudsy’s challenge toward the end of this term to help raise money for the great cause.

The Year 9 cohort have all returned from their 10-day Mt Binga experience. They really loved their time away and are now trying to settle back into ‘school’ life. It was wonderful that we were able to offer this group an outdoor education experience. Hopefully, next year we can move back to the longer program at GOOGA. 

Feel free to contact myself or your child’s relevant Year Level Co-ordinator at any time.

Lisa Roper
Head of Middle School

IC’20 LAUNCH ON FRIDAY

On Friday afternoon 24 July, the IC’20 (innovate and create) program launched with much excitement.

St Andrews was honoured to welcome Mrs Sally Townsend.  Mrs Townsend is the Head of Advocacy and Alignments of Outland Denim. 

The company was born as a means to solve the very real and current problem of modern slavery. It is this confronting subject and the company’s approach to it that made Outland Denim the perfect brand to associate with our launch week. It neatly tied in with our theme this year which is ‘The Greater Good’.

With a few students missing due to being away at Mt Binga, the remaining students made the most of their time by turning everyday problems into opportunities with fresh thinking and by completing a proposition canvas. 

We can’t wait to tackle Week 2 of the program with guests from Orange Sky Laundry to take us through the ideation phase. 

Ms Meg Sippel
Middle/Senior School Teacher

MONEY SMART KIDS TAKE AN OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING CONFERENCE CALL

On Monday, 27 July, the students in the MS elective, Money Smart Kids, were honoured to be able to take a live call from Ms Natasha Schuba from the Office of Fair Trading. 

Students were able to interact and ask questions of Ms Schuba as she led them through a presentation on scams involving money as students are learning about Consumer Law. She also generously gave them hints and tips for their competition entries that will form their assessment this term. 

Students from this elective will go into the pool of over 800 entries with the hope to win in a share of $15,000 worth of prizes on offer for 2020.

Good luck Money Smart Kids!

Ms Meg Sippel 
Middle/Senior School Teacher

PARENTS ON CAMPUS

As part of the College’s response to the pandemic and in line with Queensland Health regulations, the College has put in place restrictions on parents coming onto campus. While this step is not something that we like, it is necessary to do our bit to help with social distancing regulations. If you would like to meet with your child’s teacher, you have 3 options:

1. Call the teacher on the phone;
2. Meet over Teams; or
3. Meet face to face in the Junior School Office. (Please note that some staff may have conditions that may make it difficult to meet face to face).

BOOK WEEK

Next week we will be celebrating Book Week and on Thursday 13 August is our dress up day. It is a great week to celebrate some fantastic literature and focus on books. Watch out for the Book Fair that will follow the week after. Families can purchase books online and the children can collect them. Please refer to the flyer sent out by library staff earlier in the week. 

PREP INFORMATION NIGHT

We held an Information Night for the families of our Prep students who are starting in 2021. This will be the graduating class of 2033. We welcome our newest Andrians to our College. 

MUFTI DAY

The College is participating in Walk My Way. The money raised from this will go to helping children attend school. For every $26 we raise, we can send a child to school for a year in Kenya.  Tomorrow a group of staff and senior students will be walking 26 kilometres to raise money for this worthwhile cause. If you would like to contribute, please visit https://walkmyway.org.au/ We are leaving from the College Grounds at 7:00am, walking down to Burleigh and then heading south down to Rainbow Bay. You might like to come along and cheer us along. 

Thank you to all who participated in the recent Mufti Day. Monies raised from this also went to Walk My Way.   

Darrin Schumacher
From the Deputy Principal / Head of Junior School

LOOSE PARTS PLAY IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

Last week in the Junior School playground we launched Loose Parts Play for some break times.

‘When children interact with loose parts, they enter a world of “what if” that promotes the type of thinking that leads to problem solving and theoretical reasoning. Loose parts enhance children’s ability to think imaginatively and see solutions, and they bring a sense of adventure and excitement to children’s play.’ (Daly and Beloglovsky, 2015)

We are excited to introduce this initiative into the Junior School playground as we continue to foster creativity and innovation amongst our students. The joy for some of our students is evident in the photos.

“I loved it…I can’t wait until we can do this again” (Year 3 student).

Karen Koehler Deputy Head of Junior School Pastoral

SEQ FUTSAL 

Futsal is back! Our five Junior School teams were incredibly excited to finally get their opportunity to compete at the South East Queensland (SEQ) Futsal Tournament. It was a wonderful display of skill, athleticism and team work last week. Four out of the five teams qualified through to the SEQ Finals day in a few weeks’ time. Congratulations to all teams and good luck to our four teams competing at the Finals day.

YEAR 4 – 12 CULTURAL AWARDS

Whilst this has been a most unusual time we would very much like to celebrate and acknowledge our young performers in some way. As such we will be having a recorded Cultural Awards featuring performances from our College Ensembles from Year 4 – 12 as well as a recorded presentation of awards. 

What is the criteria?

Cultural Awards recognise individual student achievement in the Performing and Visual Arts. In the area of Performing Arts the awards include achievements in Music, Drama (stage and screen) and Dance (achievements within College Dance Programs, Dance Schools, Professional Dance Companies, Stage Productions and RAD Examinations are included). Visual Arts include photography and filmmaking.

Students must also have made a positive contribution to College Arts Activities: 

3.1.1    Essential Criteria for all levels: Active Participation in school cultural activities

Bronze Award

This is awarded to students who 

•  Have been involved in several (3 – 4) cultural groups/activities throughout the year

      OR

•  Passed Grade 5 or above in Music, Dance or Speech & Drama Exam 

OR

• Are nominated for outstanding contribution to a school ensemble/activity

Silver Award

• Grade 5 or above in Music or Speech & Drama Exam + involvement in cultural groups/activities throughout the year

     OR

• Major Award at Regional level (GC Drama Festival / Eisteddfod Championships etc)

Gold Award

• Representation at State level or equivalent in chosen discipline

     OR

• Major Award (e.g. Top of State in Speech & Drama Exam)

How are awards determined?

In Year 4 – 6 we use ensemble rolls to determine levels of involvement and ask that any activities completed outside of the College (this does include those from October last year onwards) emailed to priscillas@salc.qld.edu.au.  The deadline for this information is the end of Term 3.

In Year 7 – 12 students can complete the survey which will be available via student notices and email to priscillas@salc.qld.edu.au.  The deadline for this information is the end of Term 3.

Can events or achievements from the end of 2019 be considered?

Yes absolutely. As we present from the start of Term 4 – any results or events from October last year can be included.

Performance items will be recorded during normal rehearsal times from the end of Term 3 and start of Term 4 with the event made available via a link mid Term 4. 

MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSICAL ELECTIVE

Aristocrats

Our MS Musical elective has been cast and our students are into rehearsal. This combined elective of around 50 students provides the opportunity to audition, rehearse and stage a mini musical as an elective subject. 

This year the students will present Aristocrats which tells the tale of a kind and eccentric millionairess in the heart of Paris who wills her entire estate to Duchess, her high-society cat, and her three little kittens. Laughs and adventure ensue as the greedy, bumbling Butler pulls off the ultimate catnap caper. Now it’s up to the rough-and-tumble alley cat Thomas O Mallet and his band of swinging jazz cats to save the day.

Cilla Scott Head of Arts Department

We hope you can join us at our once a term meetings, which are held on a Wednesday evening at 7:00pm in the J Block Lighthouse Boardroom (park at the top of the school near Main Administration Building and look up - you will see the boardroom light on upstairs in J Block).

Meeting date savers - 

Wednesday 16 September

Wednesday 11 November

Keep up to date with all P&F news and events on the College Facebook page and also in the College’s fortnightly newsletters.  

P&F Team

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