Junior School Bulletin Issue 14 / 31 October 2017
Chaplains Chat This week, together with schools and churches around the world, the College celebrates Luther 500 – a week in which we remember and celebrate the Lutheran Reformation in the 16th century. The Lutheran Reformation was a time in church history when the theology, tradition, rites & observances of the Roman Catholic Church were questioned on the basis of scripture. The questioning did not happen all at once, and was not the work of one man, but many. The Reformation became an important moment in world history. It had a profound effect on Christian thinking, politics and culture in the Western World, which continues to the present day. The man who started it all is our namesake, Martin Luther
(1483-1546). He was a professor of moral theology at the University of Wittenberg. On Tuesday 31 October this year it will be exactly 500 years since he wrote his famous 95 Theses on the door of the university church in Wittenberg, Germany. This moment in time is considered the start of the Reformation. His Theses were an invitation to others at the university to start an academic discussion regarding the practice of selling indulgences. Luther believed that the Roman Catholic practice of selling indulgences was not supported by scripture, was causing grief to conscience and was, at best, a money-making scheme for the Pope. Nobody engaged with Luther on this topic but instead his Theses were distributed across Germany causing concern for leaders of the Roman Catholic Church and interest from the general public.
As time moved forward, Martin Luther realised that the practice of selling indulgences was not the only teaching and practice of the Roman Catholic Church that did not align with his reading and study of scriptures. Together with others, Martin Luther wrote about other topics such as the nature of free will, original sin, good works, righteousness, the power and authority of the Pope and the Lutheran understanding of Law & Gospel, to name a few. When others wished to start a rebellion, and take up arms, it was Luther who maintained the importance of academic conversation and using the power of the pen. Luther is also known for his work in translating the Bible into the language of the common people (the Luther Bible), authoring various hymns and his positive teaching on vocation and marriage.
These days the Catholic church and the Lutheran church have reconciled some of the topics of which Luther protested. There has been, for example, common agreement in the area of justification – how someone is made right before God. This was made formal in the Joint Declaration of the Doctrine of Justification signed by both churches in 1999. Lutherans tend to be proud of the work of Martin Luther in reforming the church. He was brave enough to stand up to the teaching and practice of the Roman Catholic Church at a time when such challenges were not welcome and nearly cost his life. It is our hope that students of the College, our fellow Andrians, will be brave enough to stand up to the challenges they face in the world today and the things they consider are not right or helpful. Nathan Glover College Pastor
Junior School News Exhibition Congratulations to the Year 6 students for doing an excellent job of their Exhibition. It was a fantastic night where the students were able to showcase their learning over the course of the unit. It was great to see all of the students singing and dancing to explain the premise behind their studies and the displays were very engaging. However, the thing that impressed me most was the real depth of
knowledge that the students demonstrated. They were able to talk intelligently and offered many thoughtful solutions to problems raised. We are very proud of the students work and thank you to all of the staff who contributed along the way. Cultural Awards Night Last Friday night we had the opportunity to celebrate a wonderful year in the Arts. We were able to acknowledge the award recipients and were entertained by the students with their artistic gifts. While we were able to celebrate the gifts, we know that there is a lot of hard work and practice that goes into developing their skills. Congratulations again to all the students who received awards and performed on the night. Thank you to all of the hardworking Arts staff – it was truly a magnificent night. Car Park Thank you all for your patience during pick up in the afternoons. A couple of reminders 1. If you are parking off site, please use the crossing near Daffodil street. It is not safe to cross from Larch Street near the entrance to the College. 2. Only park near the ELC if you have children in the ELC. 3. As much as possible use the Kiss and Ride turn around loop. 4. Vacating your park as soon as possible allows other parents to park after you. 5. Delaying your pick up to 3:15 pm will allow for a much smoother entry into the College. The College appreciates your support in these matters so that we can get your children home safely and efficiently after school. Presentation Night The annual Junior School Presentation night will be held on Tuesday 28 November beginning at 6:30pm and will be held at the The Arts Centre Gold Coast. We will be able to celebrate the achievements of students and acknowledge the Year 6 students as they end their Primary School journey and begin life as a Middle School student. In Brief Celebrating the Good Stuff • Thank you for contributing to the Mufti Day Stall. We were able to raise $1127.25. The money will be donated to Camp Quality. • Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to sell iceblocks on Friday. The children are enjoying their Friday treat. • Prep students enjoyed eating a salad, harvested from their garden. The students helped to plant and care for their garden as part of their Unit of Inquiry. • Year 4 students added to Sunday Worship by reading bible verses, singing a song and performing a drama piece. Darrin Schumacher Deputy Principal Head of Junior School
Japanese News Japanese club on Tuesday at first break. Students are active and engaged and learning about their Unit of Inquiry.Thanks always to our Junior School staff who encourage our students to attend.
Junior Library News I fondly remember reading to my children before bedtime and strongly believe it played a huge part in their love for reading today. Studies show if you can get your child into a story routine from a young age, they will more likely to continue reading as adults. Reading aloud with your child before bedtime can be a magical moment for both of you. Spending time together with no interruptions is precious, especially in this extremely busy and fast moving world we live in. There are many benefits linked to reading to your child before bedtime including; • Bedtime stories help to bring out imagination in children; • Stories can also serve as a teaching tool for everyday life skills and scenarios to be learned; • Reading aloud can improve their speech and language skills, while increasing their spelling ability, memory and logical thinking; • Stories can help children de-stress from their daily pressures. (Caroline Hartwell, 2016). Library Promotion This term we are running a promotion in the Junior School Library – Teachers Read Too? Can You Guess Who? Students have the chance to win a prize if they guess the correct teachers behind each book. These promotions are a fun way to encourage students to read and participate in library activities. Thank you to those teachers who were willing to participate.
Vikki Rees Teacher Librarian/ICT Coordinator Sharon Taki Junior School Japanese
End of Year Concert Series
Performing Arts News Cultural Awards Evening Last Friday we had the first event in our wonderful new Ruth Butler Theatre. It was fitting that it was our annual Cultural Awards Evening where we celebrate the year in the Arts and recognize individual student achievement. It was a fantastic night of performance and showcase of our Visual Artists. Congratulations to our awardees and thank you to the Arts staff who work so hard to provide these opportunities for the spotlight to shine on our young performers. Junior School Music This Term our fantastic Mini Musos band has merged with the Junior School Concert Band. Their first rehearsal was a huge success, and the group now has a large repertoire of songs under their belt. We look forward to seeing their progress this term.
Priscilla Scott Head of Arts
Sport News P-3 SWIM PROGRAM All families of P-3 students should have received via email and as a paper note, a Rackley Swimming Student Survey to be completed and returned to class teachers. This is very important so that we can place students in appropriate learning groups for the upcoming P-3 Swim Program. These forms are being collected by Rackley’s staff this week. JUMP ROPE FOR HEART P-6 students are learning and practising many Jump Rope skills and activities in Term 4. We will be conducting our ‘Jump-Off’ on Thursday 9 November. More information regarding the ‘Jump Off’ will be emailed home soon. All Prep to Year 6 students will be involved and the Year 6 Active School Leaders will help coordinate the program. Every P-6 student has received a flyer with instructions on how to register and fund raise online. I am really hoping that EVERY P-6 student will register and if we ALL try to raise at least $10, that will enable us to donate over $6000 to the National Heart Foundation. I know some students who have already raised over $200 so please get online and support this great cause as we all try to improve our health.
Iyla King is off to the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS for skipping next year. She demonstrated some very impressive skills at assembly recently. Congratulations and good luck Iyla!
Andy Manion PSPE Teacher Junior School Sports Coordinator
Dates to Remember OCTOBER Saturday 28 500th Reformation Anniversary Weekend Year 1 Family Afternoon, 2:30pm Hinterland Regional Park, Mudgeeraba Sunday 29 500th Reformation Anniversary Weekend Monday 30 JS Musical Rehearsal, 3:00pm (Selected Students) Prep 2018 Parent Info Night, 6:30pm Junior Library Tuesday 31 Years P-6 Camp Quality Puppet Show JS Chapel P-6 NOVEMBER Wednesday 1 Prep - Year 5 TFA Soccer Week 3 (Selected Students) Friday 3 Years 5-6 Interschool Summer Sport 8 (Selected Students) Years 5-7 IC’17 Workshop (Selected Students) Saturday 4 Years 5-6 Primary All Schools Touch (Selected Students) QPST Competition (Touch) (Selected Students) Sunday 5
Years 5-6 Primary All Schools Touch (Selected Students) QPST Competition (Touch) (Selected Students) Monday 6 JS Musical Rehearsal, 3:00pm (Selected Students) Tuesday 7 JS Assembly P-6, MPH, 1:40pm Wednesday 8 Prep - Year 5 TFA Soccer Week 4 (Selected Students) Thursday 9 Middle School Parent 2018 Morning Tea (Selected Students) P-6 Jump Rope For Heart, MPH First Break JS Vocal Concert Series Friday 10 First Break JS Vocal Concert Series Years 5-6 Interschool Summer Sport Animi Concert Rehearsal (Selected Students)
Lutheran Youth Queensland School Holiday Camps Escape the boredom these school holidays on an LYQ Summer Camp! 6 epic week-long camps across December and January covering Years 3-12. Check out lyq.org.au/summercamps to book your Summer of Fun!