500 years ago, Martin Luther was not only a key figure in the Reformation but a strong advocate for education for all.

He lived in a time when only the sons of wealthy families could attend school, but Luther argued for the right to an education for all children.

A quick study of Luther reveals not only his emphasis on Jesus Christ but also his significant role in modern educational reform and practice.

Lutheran schools today continue to provide quality education for all.

Dear parents and friends,

Our school values are Peace, Excellence, Respect and Community. The value in focus for Term 1 has been Peace – We encourage grace and harmony. Through this lens, staff and students are encouraged to see themselves and others through the loving eyes of God and to act with grace, harmony and respect for all.

One of the strengths we have as Australians is the rich heritage that comes from the multicultural web that makes up our population. From the oldest, continuous culture in the world to that of the newest arrivals, the diversity of cultural experiences has enriched our country and our school community in countless ways. We are blessed at Peace to have such diversity within our student population. This blending of diverse cultures has provided us with a great depth and breadth of experiences. Harmony Week is dedicated to celebrating Australia’s cultural diversity and last Friday our Junior School did just this through the annual Global Village event. It was an afternoon full of fun and learning about different cultures through presentations, dance and food.

In an increasingly connected and globalized world, learning about differences is an important part of growing up. It helps us develop an understanding of our place and purpose in the world. The children at Peace have a wonderful opportunity to be friends with and really get to know people from very different backgrounds to their own. I firmly believe this helps develop a deeper understanding and acceptance of differences, a greater appreciation of who we are as individuals, what is important in life, and how we can live in harmony with others.

Respecting the dignity and worth of all people is the key to living life in a welcoming and uplifting way. Before God, all people are equally loved parts of His creation. Loving our neighbour means to extend kindness and service to people we know as well as to the strangers we have not yet had a chance to get to know.

Blessings,

Elisabeth Fenske
Principal

At a recent meeting, the College Council ratified the 2021 Child Protection Policy. This policy and related procedures promote the safety of all children, and a copy is available on the College website.

Establishing and maintaining a safe environment is our first priority. Child protection is everyone’s business, and we provide support and development for all staff in this important area, including annual mandatory training about child protection.

The College Council extends a warm welcome to all new families and continuing families of our school.

Council members would like to congratulate the graduating students of 2020 and their teachers on their great academic results and wish them well in their future endeavours.

The Council recognises the hard work that both students and staff have put in over many years to achieve these results.

Kathy Close
Council Chair
Peace Lutheran College Council

I love the start of a new year – so much excitement and new possibilities and challenges at our fingertips. The year has started really well with students quickly settling into new classrooms and the buzz of learning is constant.

Parent Information Evenings were well attended with parents hearing directly from the teachers what to expect in the year ahead and how they can support from home. The relationship between school and home is valued by our teachers. Please come and chat if you require any assistance with learning or have concerns. We are here to work together to achieve the best outcome for your child.

I am looking forward to working withy ou all throughout this new school year.

Sarah Rowan
Head of Junior School

Our Strategic goals:

• Improvements with a unified vision around Teaching and Learning.
• Strengthening our brand.
• Connecting to the wider community.

Students who come into our Junior School classrooms will experience:

• A happy and safe environment with staff and students that care, respect others and recognise differences.
• Active inquiry-based learning that is relevant and engaging.
• A consistent approach to learning through a common language, pedagogy and programs.
• High expectations that are delivered clearly and in an open manner for all to achieve accordingly.
• A place of service to others and the community.

RED EMPERORS

House Captains: Cooper Alderman and Kara Elefandt

SRC Representative: Joshua Warne

BLUE DOLPHINS

House Captains: Benson Shino and Saffryn Turner

SRC Representative: Rachel Kochi

GREEN EAGLES

House Captains: Sachin Griffin and Coen Debel

SRC Representative: Sophie Vanden Driessen

GOLD DINGOES

House Captains: Manu Buhagiar and Annabelle Lanceley

SRC Representative: Noah Maas

On Wednesday 10th February Year 5 boarded the bus to go to Mungalli Falls. It was an hour and a half bus ride. Everyone was excited and noisy except for William because he was fast asleep.

Finally, we arrived at our destination. We all settled into our cabins and got our beds prepared. After we settled into our cabins we went to the cafeteria to have mouth-watering hot dogs.

After lunch class 5A went to land sliding which was fun and scary while class 5B was doing the obstacle course which involved a lot of teamwork and bravery. After we finished our activities we had a fruit break in between and then swapped activities.

After a long day we got changed into our pyjamas and then had dinner which was steak, potato bake and other goodies. Later on that night we had a fun bush dance. After a tiring bush dance, we all went back to our cabins to enjoy pillow fights, jokes and of course sleeping!

The next day, early in the morning we went to the creek to find platypus and have an early morning run with Mr D. Later on we got dressed and had delicious hash browns, bacon and eggs for breakfast. Then we did abseiling which was really scary and damper making which was delicious. While we waited for our damper bread to cook we were boomerang throwing and having fun. For lunch, we had scrumptious burgers. We had a pop quiz and practised for our talent show. Next, we had tasty spaghetti for dinner and ice cream for dessert. And finally, on that night we presented our talent skits, had a pyjama party followed by a movie.

On the last day, we all started to pack up our things and get dressed before breakfast. After breakfast, our last activities were archery and raft building. We had our last meal which was pizza while enjoying the beautiful view. Sadly, we had to leave the beautiful campsite of Mungalli Falls and board the bus to go back to school.

Shout out to Mr Harris, Mrs McCormick, Mrs Rowan and Mr D for taking us on this amazing camp. Also, shout out to Margaret (bus driver) for spending five hours taking us there and back. Thank you to all of the Mungalli Falls staff who provided us with all the activities, food and others.

Thank you for this amazing camp we all enjoyed!

Tsumeriyah Zuwi'e
Year 5

Celebrating our cultural diversity was the theme for our Harmony Day celebrations, and once again our Global Village came to life. This year we visited Spain, France, South Korea, Austria, Brazil and Mexico, through song, dance, craft and learning.

The Year 5 students again presented the College with a painting representing the day. The Peace dove features in the middle of the flags of the 31 countries that are represented through our student body at Peace.

We were very excited to have WIN Local News join us to report on the day as part of their 'School of the Week' segment. If you missed this news story, you are able to view it on the school's Facebook page.

An initiative of our Middle School captains is to be actively involved in their school - not only in Middle School but also in Junior School, supporting our next generation of leaders.

This term, the Middle School captains will spend regular time with Year 1s and 4s providing math tutoring during their Wednesday math lesson.

Not only does this support our junior students, it is a wonderful community service opportunity for our Middle School captains, one which will also build their confidence and help them be role models for our junior school.

Junior School at Peace Lutheran College commences at 8:30 am and concludes at 2:45 pm. There are no staff on duty until 8:10 am, so please ensure if you need to drop your child off before this time that you have made arrangements with our Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) team in advance.

In the afternoons, students who catch the bus, are booked into OSHC or have older siblings in Middle/Senior School, they will be supervised in the Junior School undercover area until 3:00 pm when they can then depart for their relevant areas.

Stop-Drop-Go = 2-minute stopping area

Please do not leave your car.

Remember, this

is not a parking space.

Speed Limit = 10km

EXIT on Foot = Internal pedestrian crossing

EXIT by Car = ONE WAY

There is only ONE WAY to exit the Junior School car park which is through the Stop-Drop-Go area, not straight out the entrance into the Stop-Drop-Go area.

If everyone does the right thing it will provide a safer environment for us all.

We know the safety of your child is very important to you so here are a few tips to help children be safer in traffic areas:

Hold hands: Children need to be actively supervised in and around traffic. Hold hands with your child when crossing the road. Students should be carrying their own school bag on their back, leaving their hands free to hold.

Set a good example: Children are always watching - they want to be just like adults. Ensure you are modelling the correct procedures and adhering to rules when you cross the road.

Talk to your child about road safety: Explain road rules, why you are stopping and looking and listening. Most importantly, remind your child that they are so important to you that you need to keep them safe at all times.

When I left university in 2002 many people asked me what I wanted to do next. Having studied English Literature and Scottish Ethnology (similar to Anthropology), most assumed I would become a teacher. At the time I scoffed at that idea, having still-too-clear memories of what my cohort had made my teachers endure during the 1990s. In my mind, anything would be better than being a teacher.

In my pre-teen years, I was determined to be an actress. Later I contemplated life in Public Relations or Journalism but I never had a sure answer to the question, “what do you want to do when you grow up?” When I graduated and fixed my sights on working in museums, I thought I was finally getting myself on track and knew what I wanted to do. The universe, however, had different plans and I found myself opening rejection letter after rejection letter until finally, I’d had enough of reading about how I didn’t have enough experience. I scraped together some savings, booked an around the world flight and headed off to Heathrow Airport hoping that the travel at least would give me some more perspective as to what I should do.

In mid-2003, I found myself on a beach in Thailand chatting to a couple of Australians who had just finished three months in Northern Thailand working as English assistants in schools near Bangkok. They told me the company was desperate for native English speakers and the pay was good. At the time, my savings were running out, so I decided to give the company a call. A week later, I was in Samut Prakan, a province to the south of Bangkok getting the low-down on the role. My job was to turn up and support the Thai teachers by giving conversational English lessons to students at the school. Easy, I thought. Unfortunately, when I arrived at the school and was handed a pile of textbooks, I quickly realised that this wasn’t quite going to be the case. The principal led me to a classroom of 35 teenagers and asked the students to welcome their new “Ajarn” or teacher. I don’t remember much of how that day panned out but I do remember that evening back in my apartment trying to recollect how my language teachers at school had taught me to speak French and German. I went through the textbook I’d been given and scrawled myself some “lesson plans” and returned the next day ready to give them a crack. Three months later, after a baptism of fire, I was saying my teary goodbyes to the students as I prepared to continue my travels. Two years later, shaped by the experiences I’d had overseas, I returned to the UK and applied to do a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education, unable to forget how teaching others had made me feel.

Some might say that the experience showed me what I wanted to do, but rather it helped me understand who I wanted to be. I came to recognise my own strengths and my values through travelling, which gave me a greater understanding of who I was and how I wanted to give back to others. There have been times during my teaching career where I’ve definitely thought about pulling the pin for one reason or another but each time I stop and take stock, I remember not only why I started but also, quite selfishly, all that I reap from working with young people.

A few weeks ago, in assembly, I shared a speech by Michelle Obama with our students, where she asks individuals to consider not what they want to do in life but who they want to be. My goal is for all our students to leave Middle School with an understanding of who they want to be, not what they want to be, as there is plenty of time to develop the latter.

Through the Peace Pastoral Program, our Middle School teachers will guide students to understand themselves better by exploring their values and character strengths. Research shows nurturing these strengths has a positive impact on students’ self-esteem, resilience and wellbeing, which in turn can have a positive impact on their engagement and achievement in school.

After a challenging 2020, it is essential we continue to equip our students with skills that build up their resilience and cultivate their wellbeing. I request that you please support us in doing this by ensuring your child has consistently high attendance and where illness causes an absence of three days or more, a medical certificate is provided to your child’s Home Group Teacher to be placed on our records.

I wish you and your families a peaceful Easter break.

Blessings,

Kirsten Anderson
Head of Middle School

As I come to the end of my first term here at Peace, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Middle School Pastoral Care team who are consistently looking for ways to improve all that we do here so that we can deliver the best-individualised support for our students.

Our Year 6 Pastoral Teachers, Kelly Dare and Fiona Rosendahl are invested in helping the cohort transition to Middle School while dealing with the challenges this early phase of adolescence brings with it.

Mark Fernandez, Natalie Andersen and Katie Warne are working hard to ensure relationship building continues to develop within Year 7 and I thank them in advance for their contributions to the planning and running of our Year 7 Camp next term.

The Year 8 team, which is comprised of David Downing, Kellie Brooker, Rosalie Allan and Tony Cridland, have spent time working with our Year 8s on organisation and goal setting, with the idea of working smarter, not harder.

Adele Wright, our Year 9 Coordinator, along with Jason Atkins, Dan McMahon, Sue Silinger and Elizabeth Hill has looked for ways to challenge the Year 9s through Pastoral Care lessons and The Rite Journey. They are excited about next term’s camp which sees them head up the range to Mareeba, where they’ll participate in a range of team-building activities designed to keep pushing them out of their comfort zone. We look forward to watching their growth as individuals and a cohort over the course of this year.

My thanks also to Elisabeth Fenske, College Principal and Clare MacDermott, Head of Learning & Innovation for their involvement in The Rite Journey Program in its inaugural year. You can learn more about The Right Journey program in the newsletter article below.

Kirsten Anderson
Head of Middle School

Term 1 of 2021 saw us kick off The Rite Journey program with our Year 9 cohort. The Program was founded over 20 years ago by an experienced educator, Andrew Lines. Designed to help students of this age group navigate the journey from childhood into adulthood, the year-long program focuses on developing skills around relationships. In Term 1, students looked at their relationship with self. In Term 2, students will explore their relationships with others. In Term 3, the focus shifts to their relationship with spirit and finally in Term 4 their relationship with the world.

When we began the journey with Year 9s at the start of Term 1, students had mixed feelings as to what they were about to undertake. In their first session, students gathered around circular rugs on which had been placed items that each of the teachers had brought in to symbolise something important within their own lives. The girls gathered with Mrs Fenske, Mrs MacDermott, Mrs Hill and Ms Anderson and the boys with Mr Atkins and Mr McMahon. Initial responses to this experience showed that some students were ‘confused’ or ‘nervous’, wondering what on earth was about to occur, while others were ‘curious’ and ‘excited’.

Over the weeks to come, students would learn that the spaces in which we gather are safe places to think, share and reflect on the things which make us who we are. Sessions include mindfulness practice and journaling, collaborative team-building exercises and activities designed to challenge and energise individuals.

Our Calling and Departure Ceremonies back in February were a highlight of this term. While it was fantastic to see the students work together on Friday night to prepare dinner and play games, even more, special perhaps was Saturday morning watching the sunrise at Yorkey’s Knob beach. Here students were asked to contemplate the childish behaviours they would leave behind, by symbolically throwing rocks out to the incoming tide, while reflecting on the dawn of the new stage of their lives as they head towards adulthood.

After heavy rain, God truly blessed us with the most beautiful colours as the sun broke over the ocean for the first time in weeks and our Year 9s left the beach energised, despite the 4:30 am start.

The Rite Journey teachers look forward to the next phase of the program as students begin to set personal challenges in order to push them outside their comfort zone. More information about The Rite Journey can be found here.

As a College, we provide a range of student support services to offer care and support for the physical, emotional and spiritual health of our students. While the College is primarily an educational institution, we are dedicated to providing support for our families beyond the classroom. We have a wonderful Pastoral Care Team available to our students, including Home Group Teachers, Year Level Coordinators, Boarding House Parents, Indigenous Education Coordinator, Student Welfare Officer and the College Pastor. There may be times a student is referred for additional support by teachers and other staff members, due to escalating or significant concerns.

Role of the Student Welfare Officer

The role of the Student Welfare Officer is to provide support, assessment and advice in relation to student wellbeing across the College from Prep-Year 12, including our Boarding School. This also includes working alongside other support staff to provide pastoral care and support for staff and parents of the College Community. Upon ascertaining the level of support required for a student in collaboration with the relevant Head of School/Boarding and Principal, part of the role is to connect students and parents to external agencies and providers who can offer expert advice to assist students as they overcome emotional and personal struggles. The Student Welfare Officer may also help deal with matters of child protection and students/families ‘at risk’.

It should be clarified that the role is not as a ‘School Counsellor’ and that as a College, we are unable to provide ongoing counselling support. The Student Welfare Officer may provide support to students over a designated period of time, however, if a student requires ongoing and extensive support, the Student Welfare Officer will liaise with external agencies for further assistance as necessary.

Meeting with the Student Welfare Officer is via appointment or in emergency situations as the need arises. Our preferred referral process is for parents to please make contact with their child’s Home Group or Classroom Teacher as the initial point of contact. This allows us to consider ways we can best provide appropriate support as a school.

There are a number of community organisations we would recommend as services that may be able to assist you further:

• General Practitioner – In many cases, speaking with a GP is the most beneficial first step. Your family GP will be able to assist with advice or appropriate referral avenues and support.
• Family and Child Connect (Ph: 13 32 64)
• Headspace Cairns (Ph: 4041 3780) – Youth Mental Health Centre & Services
• Centacare FNQ (Ph: 4044 0130)
• Relationships Australia (Ph: 1300 364 277)
• Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800)
• Beyond Blue – Anxiety, depression and suicide prevention support
• eSafety Commissioner

As is often the case at the beginning of a new school year, students take time to readjust to the routines and expectations of the College, and to spending time with one another. With this, we can see incidents involving conflict arise as social groups change and new ones form and storm. Over the past couple of weeks, Middle School Chapel and Assembly have both reinforced the need for our Peace students to live by our College values of Peace, Excellence, Respect and Community. We educate our students to demonstrate compassion and grace to one another, even when relationships can be strained and ask them to think before they react in situations where tensions arise.

We ask students to celebrate diversity and be inclusive of others, to help us build a strong community where everyone feels valued and safe. We are fortunate to have such diversity within our school and it is one of the things that makes Peace such a special place. Of course, we don’t always get this right but it’s important to reflect when we get things wrong, use these moments as opportunities to learn and restore relationships by being accountable for our actions. At Peace Lutheran College, we adopt a restorative approach to behaviour management in order to allow students to take ownership of their actions and make right their wrongs.

A PowerPoint presentation on Peer Pressure and Bullying has been shown at our recent assemblies. We encourage you to view this presentation as it includes suggestions on how to manage difficult situations and who to contact if students are facing or witnessing bullying at school.

We are continuing to update this student information group for upper Middle School and Senior School students as a place where they can get age-appropriate information and advice on a range of issues that adolescents face.

Chantal Mortimer (Student Welfare Officer) manages this information group and is well placed to provide further support for students if necessary.

A group of Year 7 Science students visited the Cairns Council Waste Processing Plant in Portsmith to learn how our rubbish is sorted and recycled. Students had the opportunity to see the amount of waste Cairns residents produce in a 48 hour period and how this rubbish is processed using magnets, Eddy currents and manual labour.

Students learned how the Cairns Council recycles glass, plastics and paper and drove on top of an old landfill site. The excursion ended with a brief visit to the buyback shop. Here is what one of the students had to say about the excursion...

"Our trip to the rubbish sorting place was very fun and interesting. When we were there, we saw how the rubbish was sorted and ended up. We played a call game where you have to sort out the rubbish on a conveyer belt, just like the workers. There were two teams and each team had to separate all the waste from the recycling. Whichever team separated the most waste got a job at the factory. We all had so much fun and won some cool items made from 100% recycled materials." - Tayla McMahon

On Tuesday 9 March, Peace was once again treated to a day’s workshops with professional Clown, Physical Actor, Mask Theatre Specialist, Stilt Performer and Teaching Artist, Clint Bolster from Homunculus Theatre Company.

Clint ran specialised sessions with all Drama classes from Years 6-12, focusing on characterisation, mask work, improvisation and building ensemble and teamwork. Students will be able to take skills developed in the sessions straight into their classwork and assessment, and greatly enjoyed the variation to routine (as did Mr O’Mara!).

Clint is a regular visitor to the College; we were delighted to host him for the day and can’t wait for his return.

This term the Middle School Captains have been helping out in Junior School Maths lessons. This is to strengthen relationships between Junior and Middle School through helping in the classroom. Middle school Captain Jasmine and Vice-Captain Abbas helped in Mrs Robinson's Year 1 class with counting by 10s, 3D and 2D shapes. Meanwhile, Middle School Captain Shane and Vice-Captain Sonia spent time with Mrs Henseleit and Mrs Jacobson’s Year 4 classes to help out with problem-solving and place value work.

Next term, the Middle School Captains look forward to organising recess activities to build social relationships between different year groups in Middle School and down into Junior School. Information about these activities will be published on Student Notices in Term 2.

• Year 9 Camp (Camp Paterson, Mareeba) - 5th - 7th May
• NAPLAN - 11th - 13th May
• Year 7 Information Evening - 25th May
• Year 7 Camp (Echo Creek Adventure Centre, Tully) - 16th - 18th June

We have welcomed a number of new students into Senior School this year and it is great to see them all settling in well and becoming integral parts of our school community.

As we approach the end of term, students need to ensure that they remain focused and capitalise on their hard work in their assignments and examinations. Progress reports will be sent out at the end of this term and we are looking forward to discussing students' progress with parents in the weeks ahead. With the current world and national events unfolding we have been working hard to remain focused on student outcomes.

I hope all our families have a relaxing Easter break. Keep safe and God bless.

Peter Cummings
Head of Senior School

Year 11 & 12

Students have been working on their SET plans and QCE progress data in Pastoral Care lessons to make sure they are in suitable classes and working towards successfully achieving their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE).

After one term, students on contract need to seriously consider their initial subject choices if they continue to have difficulty in certain subject areas. Pastoral Care staff are experienced and well placed to offer students and families good advice and alternatives to current subject pathways.

Study Skills, Learner Types, Learning Environments and QCE Scenarios have been some of the topics covered in Pastoral Care to support their studies this term.

Year 10

Year 10 students have now established their QCE learning accounts and are set to start accumulating credits towards their QCE. The Pastoral Care Team has been working through the initialising of SET (Senior Education & Training) Plans and has been asked to share their currently identified strengths, career ambitions and interests with parents at home to begin the process of transition towards graduation, further study and employment.

Year 12 General, Methods and Specialist Maths students have now completed their first assessment piece. Problem Solving and Modelling Tasks (PSMTs) require students to produce a mathematical report that solves an open-ended problem.

Our Mathematical Methods students planned, designed and calculated the volume of material needed to construct a spectacular new jump for the mountain bike tracks at Smithfield in order to attract another elite international event to Cairns.

Students have performed well on these tasks, which account for 20% of their final grade.

Head of Mathematics
Nick Brooking

The Year 12 students enjoyed a special retreat at Port Douglas earlier in the term. They were challenged to think about what will be important for them this year and the type of legacy they want to leave behind. House Captains organised some of the challenges. The activities had a focus on teamwork and building stronger connections within our community.

Each morning, Year 12 students were able to walk down to the beach and see the sunrise. Students also went on a walk along Four Mile Beach and then hiked up and around to Rex Smeal Park, along the Four Mile Beach Cliff Walk, taking the opportunity to stop at the beautiful lookouts along the way.

The camp was held when other special celebrations were occurring back at school to mark the beginning of Lent. While on retreat, the Year 12s had pancakes as dessert on Tuesday night to mark Shrove Tuesday. On Ash Wednesday morning, students were encouraged to have a quiet time at the beach. Ash was provided for those who wished to use it.

We are excited to see how the Year 12s are demonstrating leadership within the College since returning from the retreat. Their initiatives to make our school a better place are already starting to take shape with the range of lunchtime activities that are on offer.

We are continuing to update this student information group for upper Middle School and Senior School students as a place where they can get age-appropriate information and advice on a range of issues that adolescents face.

Chantal Mortimer (Student Welfare Officer) manages this information group and is well placed to provide further support for students if necessary.

On Tuesday 9 March, Peace was once again treated to a day’s workshops with professional Clown, Physical Actor, Mask Theatre Specialist, Stilt Performer and Teaching Artist, Clint Bolster from Homunculus Theatre Company.

Clint ran specialised sessions with all Drama classes from Years 6-12, focusing on characterisation, mask work, improvisation and building ensemble and teamwork. Students will be able to take skills developed in the sessions straight into their classwork and assessment, and greatly enjoyed the variation to routine (as did Mr O’Mara!).

Clint is a regular visitor to the College; we were delighted to host him for the day and can’t wait for his return.

Peace Lutheran College is proud of its image in the community and an important part of this continues to be our uniform. I am very pleased to see that the students are taking pride in their appearance this year and I would like to say thank you for all the parental support of our policy. Apart from student safety, the image we project in our community has many positive benefits both at school and in the wider community.

Term 2 requires senior students to wear a tie, so a timely bedroom tidy might be in order over the Easter break to locate any missing items.

A reminder that students are only allowed piercings in the lower lobe (plain metal stud or sleeper). Facial piercings are not allowed.

Parents and students are reminded to review our Uniform Policy and clarify any questions with staff before decisions are made that are in breach of this. The aim is to make sure our expectations are clear so that it is not necessary for students to be suspended for uniform infringements. Parental support with this is essential and very much appreciated so that we can continue to deliver a quality education whilst being consistent with our expectations of all students.

It has been a very busy start to the new school year and it has been wonderful being able to have everyone at school and working face-to-face with the students. The College continues to focus on an improvement agenda across all levels, classrooms, subject, departments and leadership.

Independent School Queensland (ISQ) Grants

2021 has seen the College awarded four Independent School Queensland (ISQ) grants that are being implemented in the form of data gathering, action research, action plans and goal setting. The grants focus on curriculum; curriculum, future and ensuring consistency and quality. Staff across the College are involved in the ISQ Grant projects which are creating a culture of professional learning. Thank you to all staff and community members who are supporting the implementation of the ISQ projects.

Student & Parent Portals

The last two years have seen an increased use of the College's online system incorporating Teacher Kiosk, Student Cafe and the Peace Parent Portal. The development of these portals allowed staff to support students during the period of offsite learning. This level of support and curriculum communication has continued this year with teachers providing assessment and teaching and learning information via Student Café.

As Term 1 comes to an end students and teachers are working on completing units of work and are taking time to assess what students know and can do as a result of the term’s work. Teachers in Middle and Senior School are now trialling the provision of feedback on assessment tasks via the Peace Parent Portal.

The steps below will help you navigate through the portal to read the feedback from teachers.

Accessing Peace Parent Portal

To access the Peace Parent Portal, go to the Student Details tab and select Curricular Activities. Filter the list of Curricular Activities to Completed Activities. Any submitted task with Assessed listed as shown below will give you a screen with results and teacher feedback.

The use of Student Café and the Peace Parent Portal continues to strengthen the partnerships and community that has always been evident at the College. The development of skills that staff have demonstrated has been second to none. They have experimented with new practices and techniques to provide feedback to their students and students’ families.

Term 1 Progress Reports

At the end of Term 1, Progress Reports will be released via the Peace Parent Portal. The report will provide a grade for each subject, a level of your child’s approach to learning and will be supported with access to data that demonstrates where your child is ranking in the cohort for each subject.

At the beginning of Term 2, the Parent/Teacher Interviews will provide you with the opportunity to follow up the information provided in the Term 1 report, discuss the feedback on assessment tasks and examine your child’s overall progress based on the data from the Portal.

Thank you for your support of your child’s learning and their teachers. The partnership we create provides a strong and supportive learning environment for your children.

Clare MacDermott
Head of Learning & Innovation

At the time of writing this, during the second last week of Term 1, many at school are looking forward to the Easter weekend and the school break. But before then, we still have lots of things to do and other events on the calendar.

Sunday the 28^th of March is Palm Sunday, the day we remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem one week before his death and resurrection which we celebrate at Easter.

Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, reminding us of his humility and servant-heart. In those days, kings and important people rode string horses or in chariots, or were even carried by servants. But here Jesus reminds us that he comes as the servant-King – riding on a donkey, mixing with the common people, attending to the poor and sick, and goes on his way to give his life for all.

Notice also that verse 9 reads, “Those that went ahead and those that followed…”, in other words, Jesus is in the midst of them. It is easy for us to forget that Jesus is not only behind and ahead of us, but with us. He is not simply a figure from 2,000 years ago or a Saviour who will only meet us in our final moments, rather He is here in our midst. He comes to us today with forgiveness and freedom. He meets us whenever and wherever we are.

God bless,

Adam Eime
College Pastor

With the new timetable, this year's chapel is a bit different from previous years. Chapel and assembly are combined for Senior School and Middle School and have moved to a Monday in lessons 1 and 4 respectively. Junior School chapel is now on a Friday afternoon as our closing event for the week. We still have whole school chapels for special occasions, such as our opening chapel for the year. In the first week of Term 2, we will have our ANZAC Day Chapel on Friday 23^rd April.

In keeping with COVID-safe practice, our Ash Wednesday chapel was a little different. We were still able to offer the Imposition of Ashes, but without person to person contact. Students were able to receive the ashes by having them sprinkled into their hands and to make the sign of the cross themselves.

Another highlight was having the Year 5s assist with Junior School chapel while they were on camp at Mungalli Falls. Several students filmed liturgical elements such as candle-lighting and bible reading with a makeshift altar (a box) early one morning, and these videos were used in the chapel service.

The winners of the inaugural Champion of Champions trophies at this year's Middle/Senior Cross Country Carnival are:

• Tsubasa (with a time of 10:58:97)
• Ella (with a time of 11:45:43)

The recipients of this honour are those who have run the fastest time at this year's Cross Country event. All participants ran the same distance so all Middle/Senior students from Years 6 - 12, and a few students from Years 4 and 5 who fell within the age bracket, had the opportunity to be awarded the title. Congratulations to Tsubasa who competed in the 15 years boys division and Ella who competed in the 14 years girls division.

Our Middle/Senior Cross Country Carnival was the perfect way to finish the last school day of Term 1.

Congratulations to our Middle/Senior 2021 Cross Country age champions:

• 11Y & Under: Saffryn and Toby
• 12Y: Amelia and Isaac
• 13Y: Atalia and Saxon
• 14Y: Ella and Louis
• 15Y: Jordan and Tsubasa
• 16Y: Talara and Hamish
• 17Y: Hannah and Kyle
• 18Y & Over: Ellie-May and Levi

Congratulations GOLD DINGOES!!

Congratulations...

• Prep - Rosalie and Isaac
• Year 1 - Havana and Connor
• Year 2 - Eve and Shekkha
• Year 3/4 - Luarna and Sebastian
• 2011 - Mila and Sachin

From a careers perspective, the College is looking forward to providing your child with a range of exciting activities and events already planned for the coming year.

Interest in vocational education and training opportunities continues to grow and the College is meeting this demand by partnering with a number of providers including TAFE, Aviation Australia and CQUniversity.

Our aviation students have commenced their training at the Cairns Aviation Skills Centre and will be completing their Certificate II in Aircraft Line Maintenance. TAFE for our Year 11 and 12 students has started across a wide range of vocations. This year we have students studying courses such as Marine Operations, Healthcare, Engineering, Construction, Electrical and Vehicle Mechanics.

Vocational education in combination with a supportive school environment allows students the opportunity to develop academically and be ready to enter their industry with qualifications. To understand what the VET pathway has to offer students please take 30 minutes out of your day to watch the Skills and Thrills Digital Parents Showcase.

This is a 30-minute video available free to all parents. It will be of most interest if your child is currently in Middle or Senior School. This video resource will only be available until the 31^st of May 2021, so I would encourage you to watch it when you have time. Students in Years 10 to 12 will have the opportunity to watch this video during their pastoral care time. The video will cover the following information:

• Industry trends for the next five to fifteen years
• Industry trends post COVID-19 impacts
• Apprenticeships
• Traineeships
• School-Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships (SBATs)
• Opportunities in the vocational education and training sector (VET)
• How to support your child to make informed career choices

SkillsOne will additionally be hosting a video panel discussion with industry representatives and ambassadors on Tuesday 11th May (evening). Parents can pre-submit questions to be addressed on the evening via info@skillsone.com.au.

Thank you to Defence Force Recruiting who visited our Year 11 and 12 students to discuss career pathways. Petty Officer Julius Tadulala and Corporal Alex Beaumont shared an insight into a 'typical week'... doing admin one day and jumping out of a plane the next... which gave us a whole new understanding of the word 'typical' in the life of ADF personnel.

Our Year 12’s were fortunate enough to experience a day in the life of a CQUniversity student.

Held at the CQU campus in Cairns City, this day on-campus event allowed Year 12 students an opportunity to explore their post-high school options, including both higher education degrees and TAFE courses.

Parents are welcome to contact me at the College to arrange a time to talk about career pathways, ATAR, VET courses and university pathways. There is so much information available to students and parents which can make the process seem overwhelming and confusing, so please do not hesitate to make contact by phoning 4039 9000 or emailing me via rbolton@plc.qld.edu.au.

Students are also welcome to visit me during the second break on a Monday and Wednesday in SU1 to discuss any career or subject matters during this time.

Finally, please encourage your child to visit the Careers Yammer page. Information about careers, university, work opportunities and general advice is posted on this site each week.

Rebecca Bolton
Careers Guidance Officer/Head of Humanities

We encourage all students to continue reading for pleasure over the school holidays. Any books borrowed in the last two weeks of term have been extended until Term 2. There are also over 4,000 e-books and audiobooks that can be downloaded from the Library website.

Thank you to the large number of students who tried out for the Readers Cup. We had a huge response, especially from Year 5 students.

The Year 5/6 Readers Cup team is:

• Harper B
• Lachlan H
• Kara E
• Joshua W

The Year 7/8 Readers Cup team is:

• Viktor S
• William W
• Micah F
• Samuel A

the teams will read and study five to six books over the next ten weeks to prepare for the regional competition in June. The winning teams then go on to compete in the State Finals in Brisbane in September.

Research and Referencing workshops were held with all Middle School students this term as part of pastoral care lessons.

Students learned how to find reputable information from a range of sources for their History assignments. This included navigating Britannica Schools and learning how to reference using Harvard Referencing Style.

Year 4 students also learned how to find research for their biographies on Early Explorers using Britannica.

This Easter's Book Fair themed 'To Book Fair and Beyond' was a huge success.

We would like to thank the members of our Peace Community who purchased books, posters and other trinkets. A percentage of all sales comes back to the Learning Centre to purchase books for the Library.

We are still collating the final tally and will provide an update in the next newsletter.

Our Props and Costumes afterschool club has been running for several weeks and students are well on their way to completing their first project (a helm inspired by the popular Mandalorian series).

Students are working with EVA foam to cut out and assemble their own helmets. Once assembled students will then paint their helmets (something we aim to have done before the end of Term 2).

The Props & Costumes club is open to all Middle and Senior students. If you would like to join the club, you can sign up through Student Café. But hurry, spaces are limited and are filling fast!

David Downing
STEM Teacher

Recycling, planting and pruning continue to beautify the school grounds with more varieties going in around the new Hospitality area. Students have been working hard, rain or shine, to dig holes, fertilise and water the new plants with the considerable help and guidance of maintenance and teaching staff. A recent patch of succulents has been introduced in one area to cope with more challenging conditions that have prevented regular plants from thriving.

Students keen to help with environmental initiatives, recycling and maintaining vegetation have an opportunity to log these hours towards our Peace Service Awards and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

Speak with Mrs Cummings if you would like to get involved.

Our College Captains and Year 12 leaders are doing a stellar job of running a very interesting and popular program of activities that run during lunch breaks for our Middle and Senior students.

The 2021 program supports our no mobile phone use during the school day from 8:30 am -3:00 pm. Apart from the benefit of cyber safety while at school this is improving students' concentration, learning and wellbeing as they are encouraged to socialise, eat well and participate in a range of recess activities organised by student leaders and staff.

Parents also need to consider these factors at home to support a good study environment, promote sufficient sleep, encourage a balanced approach to exercise and diet and manage excessive use of social media and gaming.

2021 Recess Activities Program

• Board Games
• Drawing Club
• Code Club
• Friday Quiz
• CEVA Excellence in Visual Art Program
• Gym Club
• PUGS (Peace Ukulele and Guitar Club)

A number of after school activities are available to our students. Parental permission is required. Sign up and permission can be made via the Peace Parent Portal.

After School Activities

• Homework & Tutoring Club - Tuesday 3:15 pm - 4:15 pm
• Sewing Club - Wednesday 3:15 pm - 4:15 pm
• Props & Costumes Club - Thursday 3:15 pm - 4:15 pm

Save the date! The Bridge Award Program is coming to Peace and is anticipated to be available for interested Year 7 students in Term 2.

The Bridge Award Program is the 'younger sibling' of the Duke of Edingburgh Award, also an internationally recognised leadership and development program.

Like the Duke of Edinburgh Award Program, the Bridge Award is a non-competitive, enjoyable and balanced program. It is voluntary for interested students and those who do participate will be required to commit to activities outside of the usual school curriculum. It is a program that enables young people to demonstrate self-development within an internationally recognised framework.

Keep an eye on the College Facebook page and for School App notices for more details.

The new P&F Executive are excited about the year ahead and eagerly invite parents and friends within our school community to share their thoughts and ideas for our school.

The first of our face-to-face meetings commenced with our AGM followed by our first Committee meeting earlier this month.

Our 2021 Committee Members are:

• Lee Storck (Vice President)
• Manuela Kensley (Treasurer)
• Samara Dever (Secretary)
• Larisa Millyard (President)

I'd like to extend a warm welcome to Lee and Samara who have joined the team this year.

We are in the process of scheduling some exciting events for 2021 and look forward to sharing these with you soon. Of course, we will always welcome those who are interested in coming along to our meetings and being a part of the brainstorming and planning for the year. It is a great opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas and mix with like-minded people.

The Committee meets on the third Wednesday of each month, with our next meeting taking place on Wednesday 21st April in the College's Staff Lounge. Refreshments will be available from 6:45 pm with the meeting starting at 7:00 pm. It's a new year and there is much anticipation about what everyone would like to see happen throughout the year.

We hope to see you on the 21st of April.

The position of Assistant Secretary was not filled at our recent AGM and is still available.

This person will work together with the Secretary and take minutes on a rotation basis at Committee meetings.

Should you be interested, please make contact with us via email.

Our very popular Junior School discos are set to make a return this year.

The first disco will be held on Friday the 30th of April and the theme is 'Under the Sea'.

We look forward to seeing a splash of underwater colour at this event!

The College has invited Police Liaison Officer, Hong Ma and his team to the school next term to give presentations and advice to students, parents and staff on the dangers to look out for and protective behaviour online.

With the Easter weeks ahead, we have provided links to some online resources that you may find helpful with respect to online safety awareness.

• Think You Know
• Reporting to protect yourself

We are pleased to advise that the College has extended its scholarship offering to also include Middle School scholarship opportunities, open to students who are Australian citizens or who hold a Permanent Residency Visa and who will be entering Year 7 or Year 8 in 2022.

This invitation is open to interested students who are either current Peace students OR students from other schools.

Scholarships offered

• Academic Scholarship
• Creative Arts Scholarship
• Sporting Scholarship
• All-Rounder Scholarship

Applications are now open and will close on Friday, 25th June 2021. More information and instruction on how to apply is available on the College's website.

Boarding scholarship opportunities are available for students entering Years 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 for the following year, and who are Australian citizens or who hold a Permanent Residency Visa.

Applications are now open and will close on Friday, 25th June 2021. More information and instruction on how to apply is available on the College's website.

Would you like to help our Captains make a change?

The College Captains have chosen the theme 'Ocean Awareness and Pollution' as their focus for 2021. There will be many exciting initiatives and activities with their biggest goal being to 'adopt a tiger shark' through a JCU tracking program. Now that we have your attention...!!

In order for this to become a reality, the Captains need to raise funds to help purchase the shark tag and they have decided to use the Containers For Change initiative as part of their fundraising efforts as it aligns with their Ocean Awareness and Pollution theme.

Toward the end of the last term, they made their first big drop off at the Containers for Change depot with the 491 cans donated to them by the College's P&F, raising $49.90. This was a great start, but they have a long way to go, and this is where they need our school community to get behind them.

You can either self-donate at your local 'cash for containers' collection centre and use the code C10419915 when you drop off to ensure the funds are banked against our school fundraising, or alternatively, you may drop off your containers at the school. Full details on container drop-off at the school will be provided at the start of next term, so, in the meantime, please start collecting and saving all of your containers ready for donating to their 'adopt a tiger shark' goal.

Keep an eye on our social pages to find out more at the start of next term! But in the meantime, this is the code for you to use if you decide to self-donate...

We are aware that some Junior School, Middle School and Senior School students are arriving early to school and are on campus as early as 7:30 am. In particular, some students have been arriving early to play basketball in the MPC and Junior School basketball court areas.

Students are not to be dropped off at school earlier than 8:00 am (8:10 am for Junior School students). The College has staff on duty from 8:10 am in the Junior School and 8.00 am in the Middle/Senior School in the morning through until 3:20 pm in the afternoon. To ensure we fulfil our duty of care it is important that students are not on campus outside of these hours unless they are participating in a pre-approved, supervised activity. If students participate in a supervised after-school activity, please ensure they are collected promptly at the finish time.

It is the responsibility of the parent/caregiver to ensure that their child/ren are supervised before 8:00 am and after 3:20 pm. Parents/caregivers of students who arrive before 8:00 am (8:10 am for Junior School students) or remain on campus after 3:20 pm will be contacted to make alternative arrangements for the care of their children.

The Queensland Government is conducting its annual statewide survey of all students who completed Year 12 in 2020. The Next Step survey is a brief, confidential survey that gains a comprehensive picture of the employment, study and life choices made by Queensland school completers in the year after they finish Year 12.

Between April and June, all our students who completed Year 12 last year can expect to receive instructions to complete a web-based survey or a telephone call from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office. We encourage all of our graduates to take part. If contact details for graduates have changed, please assist the interviewer with their updated details or forward the survey to their new address so they can participate.

Thank you for your support of the Next Step survey in 2021.

Further information on Next Step, including results from previous years, is available online at www.qld.gov.au/nextstep or on toll free telephone 1800 068 587.

In Term 1 children have engaged in a variety of cultural and significate events. We have focused on using these opportunities to develop understandings of the diversity of culture, heritage, background, and tradition. Making sure that we recognise and respect all families. We have acknowledged and celebrated:

• Chinese New Year
• Valentine’s day
• Lent (Lenten Promises, Pancake Tuesday and Ash Wednesday)
• Harmony day
• St Patricks Day
• Easter traditions

Children also were involved in Clean up Australia day. Demonstrating an increasing knowledge of and respect for natural and constructed environments. Showing awareness of the human impact of our living and how we can positively contribute to our world.

At OSHC we strive to provide an environment to help children grow and develop as individuals and collaboratively as a team.

Our families' voice plays a crucial part in our service. This term we created a child and parent survey, this allowed us to put forward some new ideas in our routines, program, and service. This also includes our Vacation Care Program where children have helped construct a fun and exciting program for these coming school holidays.

We Look forward to seeing you at Peace Lutheran OSHC 😊

PLEASE NOTE: In the event of unforeseen circumstances the above events and associated dates may be subject to change. Please check the Peace Lutheran College website for the most up to date calendar information.

Until the 31st of May 2021, LLL (Lutheran Laypersons League) Australia is offering $25 as the first deposit for any new LLL children's savings account that is opened in their name.

For more information or to open an LLL Children's Savings Account visit their website, or phone 1800 556 456. Remember to quote the promo code, GET25, on the account opening form to secure your child's first deposit of $25.

South Passage is offering a 4-day 'Adventure Under Sail' voyage in and out of Townsville during the Term 2 school holidays (6th - 9th July 2021).

COST: $621 per person, inclusive of all onboard meals, accommodation, training, safety equipment and taxes.

Peace Lutheran College has previously participated in the 'Adventure Under Sail' program as an optional school excursion.

Students interested in participating can register directly with the South Passage and secure their berth with a $150 deposit.

The College has a team of dedicated staff who, together, look out for the wellbeing and pastoral care needs of our students. The Student Welfare Officer may provide support to students over a designated period of time, however, if a student requires ongoing and extensive support, the Student Welfare Officer will liaise with external agencies for further assistance as necessary. It should be clarified that the role of our Student Welfare Officer is not one of a ‘School Counsellor’ and that as a College, we are unable to provide ongoing counselling support.

Meeting with the Student Welfare Officer is via appointment or in emergency situations as the need arises. Our preferred referral process is for parents to please make contact with their child’s Home Group or Classroom Teacher as the initial point of contact. This allows us to consider ways we can best provide appropriate support as a school.

There are a number of community organisations we would recommend as services that may be able to assist you further:

General Practitioner – In many cases, speaking with a GP is the most beneficial first step. Your family GP will be able to assist with advice or appropriate referral avenues and support.

• Family and Child Connect (Ph: 13 32 64)
• Headspace Cairns (Ph: 4041 3780) – Youth Mental Health Centre & Services
• Centacare FNQ (Ph: 4044 0130)
• Relationships Australia (Ph: 1300 364 277)
• Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800)
• Beyond Blue – Anxiety, depression and suicide prevention support
• eSafety Commissioner

We strive to keep you informed through open, efficient communication. The Peace Lutheran College School App, Facebook and Instagram pages are regularly updated with news, events and important notices.