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Issue 2 / 20 February 2015

Junior School Bulletin

Junior School News ELC Opening Last Monday we had the official opening of the Early Learning Centre. It completes the dream of the College founders to have a College that goes from Kindergarten through to Year 12. It is a beautiful building and the staff are working exceptionally hard to provide a quality education in a caring Christian environment. The program aims to give students the best possible start to their educational journey. We are excited about the many opportunities that are possible as a result of the Early Learning Centre being on our campus.

Information Nights We have just completed the Information Nights where we could share with parents some of the initiatives we are working on this year. We truly value the partnership that exists between the College and our families. As Mr Kotzur said “Good families make Good schools” and this is certainly very true of St Andrews. I remind you to keep us informed about things that are impacting your child and encourage you to check in regularly to Parent Lounge to keep up to date with events occurring at the College. Year 3 Family Service It was wonderful to see so many Year 3 students at the recent Family Service. Family Church Services are important in helping students to understand and make links to the Christian Studies Program. Additionally they are an important way of building community here at St Andrews.

Pastor Nathan Glover I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Pastor Nathan Glover to our College. He is a welcome addition to our community. Pastor Nathan will lead Junior School worship, staff devotions and provide theological insights. However, most importantly he will provide a listening ear to members of the College community. Making Thinking Visible Teachers often look for ways for students to make their thinking visible. While we are happy that the children might get the ‘correct answer’, more often than not we are interested in the thinking that occurs to get that answer. In some cases a child may get an ‘incorrect answer’ but still demonstrate a high level of thinking. The teachers also give students different thinking strategies to help them work through a problem and often praise the effort rather than the final result. This helps the students to develop a growth mindset and see that effort is the path to improvement. Mufti Day–Rainbow Colours: Refugee Awareness Next Tuesday 24 February, our first Mufti Day for the year will see us asking students to bring in a gold coin donation to support the Australian Lutheran World Service response to the needs of refugees. Please encourage your child(ren) to wear Rainbow Colours to represent the Nations of the World and support for refugees. In March, a number of our students from Years 6, 9 and 11 will also take part in an ALWS Awareness Week event, which highlights the work of one of the welfare arms of the Lutheran Church. Swimming Carnival Next Friday is the annual Years 4-6 swimming carnival. It is a great opportunity for students to compete in a friendly competition against their peers, develop resilience when things might get a little challenging and show good sportsmanship to the other competitors. Parents are invited to attend this event, which usually proves to be one of the highlights of term one. Darrin Schumacher Head of Junior School darrins@salc.qld.edu.au

From the Deputy Head of Junior School & PYP Coordinator Welcome to the new academic year! It was wonderful to see our students returning enthusiastically ready for the new challenges that lie ahead. I have particularly enjoyed visiting classes and meeting students in the playground where I have been met with happy, smiling faces. Thanks to our wonderful parents for preparing your child/ren so well for the exciting learning journey ahead!

• Positive emotions – feeling good • Engagement – being completely absorbed in activities • Relationships – being authentically connected to others • Meaning – purposeful existence • Achievement – a sense of accomplishment and success Source: http://positivepsychologymelbourne.com.au/PERMA-model

Each of these five elements is essential to our well-being. Together, they form the solid foundation upon which we can build a happy and flourishing life. At St Andrews we strive to support our students as thriving learners and that is why we have embraced the PERMA model. Seligman advocates that positive emotions are good for children because they stretch the imagination. When children do something they enjoy or find interesting, they are more likely to persevere in the face of challenges. Gore supports the notion that feeling good is contagious. It helps to promote academic performance, boosts our physical health, strengthens our relationships and inspires us to be creative. As an IB World School we continue to strive to make our IB PYP classrooms lively places where there is collaborative and purposeful activity. We seek to create reflective environments where thoughtful consideration of issues, problems and successes are highly valued. We want our students to feel that their classroom is an environment in which learning knows no limits.

As you walk into Junior School classrooms you will see displays that promote the P in PERMA to assist our students in developing positive emotions.

During the student free days prior to the commencement of the school year, our teachers were privileged to engage in a workshop led by Amanda Gore. Amanda is an award winning speaker who presents at conferences throughout Australia and America.

Amanda shared the importance of why ‘joy’ matters. She advocates that joy precedes success, increases creativity, productivity and performance; and it reduces stress. She explained that when we are joyful or doing silly things, our brain releases dendrites - which are the things that connect neuron to neuron. The more dendrites, the more neurons connect, the smarter and more capable we become! Being joyful aligns beautifully with the ‘P’ in PERMA. PERMA is an acronym for a model of well-being developed by Martin Seligman who is known as an expert in the field of positive psychology. According to Seligman, PERMA makes up five important building blocks of well-being and happiness:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13 Jacqueline Faulkner Deputy Head of Junior School PYP Coordinator

Families and children are engaging and developing connections within the College community. Thank you to the ELC staff who are doing an amazing job.

ELC News The opening Ceremony of the ELC on Monday 16 was truly a wonderful event that has topped off a busy two weeks. Last week we had a visit from Condev Constructions to talk to the children about how they built the Early Learning Centre, the children wrote to Condev Constructions requesting a visit. This was a great experience for all.

Bronwyn Waters Director Early Learning Centre

Chaplains Chat Hello St Andrews College Community. My name is Nathan Glover and I have been called by the College Council to serve as the new College Pastor, taking over after Pastor Terry who retired last year. He has left big shoes for me to fill and I hope to be able to fill them for you and also to bring my own gifts to the role. Thank you to the staff and students who have made me feel welcome thus far. A little background about me: I am a Queenslander from birth but have been outside the state for nearly 10 years studying to be a pastor in Adelaide and then serving in my first parish in central Victoria. I have always had a heart for school ministry and feel somewhat at home in the school context as both my parents were teachers in Lutheran schools. I am married to Aneisha and we have three children. Two of our children attend the Early Learning Centre and our youngest, Josiah (pictured below), was born at the end of January. In my spare time I enjoy reading books, taking photos, tinkering with computers and playing sport.

We also had Year 5B come and visit and sing the hit song from the movie ‘Frozen’ in Japanese to the children on Friday afternoon. The children were still talking about the visit this week. Japanese is one of the special offerings that helps to make the ELC program uniquie.

If there is one thing I would like to contribute to the College – it is that every student would come to know the grace of God through Jesus Christ. The Lutheran Church rightly calls this the chief doctrine of the church and in my time at the College I hope to teach and live a Gospel of Grace towards others. I look forward to getting to know you and others in the College community throughout the year. If you need anything, my door is always open. Pastor Kevin came and visited with his friend Bear and sang songs and prayed with the children and had Jesus time. We look forward to this on a regular basis.

Nathan Glover College Pastor nathang@salc.qld.edu.au

Junior School Japanese News

A new concept in our Japanese room this year is the introduction of the TAIDO (Attitude) Joy Spot. When students display the PYP attitudes in Japanese class, they enter the hula hoop and count in Japanese. This concept has created a joyful atmosphere .

Japanese in 2015 Minnasan Konnichiwa! Students in the ELC have had their first Japanese lesson for 2015. Students enjoyed singing Japanese songs to learn greetings, colours and numbers with a focus on the Eric Carle book, â€˜Brown Bear Brown Bear, What do you see?â€˜

We have also had our first Skype session for this year with Ehime Elementary school. Volunteer students in Year 5B introduced Australian foods to Year 5 students in Japan. 50 teachers from all over Japan were invited to observe this Skype session with our students. We continue to strengthen our strong connections with Ehime Elementary school, in Shikoku, Japan.

It is going to be an exciting 2015 with all things Japanese. Taki Sensei JS Japanese Coordinator

WORDS THEIR WAY PARENT INFORMATION SESSION WEDNESDAY 11 MARCH CECILE RYAN CENTRE 6.00PM RSVP to joannel@salc.qld.edu.au by 4 March Please stay on for the P & F Meeting at 7.00pm

Performing Arts News

Sport News

Getting Involved in The Arts St Andrews offers a wide range of Bands, Choirs and Dance Troupes as well as performance opportunities ranging from Fete, Performer’s Register (MS/SS), Drama Festival and Musical.

Head of Sport On Tuesdays, Mr Manion will now be located in the HPE office under J Block with Mr Carter. This will make it much easier for senior students to contact Mr Manion regarding any Sports related enquiries. Mr Manion can also be contacted by email: andrewm@salc.qld.edu.au

Below are the rehearsal times for our groups: Choirs Semitones (Years 1-3) Wednesday 7.45am JS Music Room Golden Clefs (Years 4-6) Tuesday 7.45am JS Music Room MS/SS Choir (Years 7-12) Thursday 7.45am J17 NB: It is expected that all PAT Vocal Students are singing in a choir. This is to assist with their aural development and harmony work. Bands String Ensemble Monday 7.30am JS Music Room Mini Musos Wednesday 7.30am RBT JS Concert Band Thursday 7.30am J24 Concert Band Thursday 7.30am J24 Jazz Band Wednesday 3.30pm RBT Percussion Ensemble Monday 7.30am RBT Dance Troupes JS Dance Troupe Monday 3.10-4.00pm RBT Combined Troupe Tuesday lunch RBT MS Troupe Wednesday lunch RBT MS Elite Contemporary Wednesday 3.10-4.00pm J24 Any enquiries related to these groups can be emailed to: Choirs: kristined@salc.qld.edu.au Bands: paulo@salc.qld.edu.au Dance: paulag@salc.qld.edu.au / kimr@salc.qld.edu.au Musical As of 2015, our structure for Musicals has changed. Instead of alternating each year with a JS and MS/SS Musical, we will do one Whole School Musical (Years 4-12) every second year (with rehearsals commencing the year before). So we will cast our Musical Term 3, rehearse Term 4 and it will be staged early Term 2, 2016. Cilla Scott Head of Arts priscillas@salc.qld.edu.au

District Sport Carnivals and Trials Due to some changes within the School Sport South Coast region, ALL 10 to 19 year old St Andrews’ students will now trial via the HINTERLAND DISTRICT. This applies for Carnivals (Swim, Cross Country and Athletics) and Sports Team selection trials. The Gold Coast South (Primary) and Independent (Secondary) Districts do not exist anymore. Don’t forget to email or see Mr Manion if you are interested in attending District Sport Carnivals and/or Trials in 2015. Reminders will be in student notices and and on the College website as trial dates approach, but it is every students’ responsibility to research the dates and contact Mr Manion if they are interested in such events. District Swimming Trials Congratulations to the following swimmers who have qualified to attend the Hinterland Green District Swimming Carnival for 10–19 year old swimmers at TSS on Monday 23 February 2015. We hope you produce some excellent swims on the day. 4B 4C 5C 5A 5C 5C 6B 5B 5A 6C 6A 6A 8C 7D 7D 8B 8B 8D

Ethan Read Joshua Horton Fynn Andrews Scarlett McMurtry Shae Williams Madyson Cloherty Daniel Craig Tim Hornsey Charli Lewis Saoirse Harding Matthew Gabriel Tom Atkinson Ben Batchelor Kali Williams Samantha Todd Ieuan Watkins Misha Varley Gabrielle McGuire

10B 10B 10B 10G 10G 10G 11B 11B 11G 11G 12B 12B 13B 13B 13G 14B 14G 14G

P&F News St Andrews Swimming Carnivals Years 7-12 THURSDAY 26 February Years 4-6 FRIDAY 27 February To be held at Somerset College Pool. Hopefully all students have received permission to attend our Carnivals via the Parent Lounge by now. Buses will depart at 8.30am so if students can meet their teachers at 8.15am on the day, that would be great. Please remember to bring adequate food and drinks, sunscreen, hat, togs, towel and wear your sports uniform with HOUSE SHIRT. NO ZINC or HAIR SPRAY please. MILO In2Cricket and T20 BLAST We have once again started the Wednesday after school Cricket sessions for Prep to Year 2 (In2Cricket) and T20BLAST (Years 3-6). If you are keen to join in, please register at: www.in2cricket.com.au or www.t20blast.com.au and come and have a great time from 3.15–4.15pm. Meet at the MPH.

We hope everyone is settling back into the school year. The General Meeting for Term 1 will be held on Wednesday 11 March at 7pm in the CRC. We welcome any new parents to come along and find out what the P & F is all about. If you have any agenda items for discussion please email the Secretary at pandf@salc.qld.edu.au by Friday 6 March. Attending meetings is a great opportunity to have input into school projects which the P & F fund. Everyone is welcome so please join us. If anyone has any suggestions or comments and cannot make the next meeting please email the P & F at pandf@salc.qld.edu.au Dates for General Meetings in 2015 We only meet once a term, so put these dates in your diary. All meetings start at 7:00pm in the CRC. Term 1 – Wednesday 11 March Term 2 – Wednesday 10 June Term 3 – Wednesday 12 August Term 4 – Wednesday 25 November - AGM

If you have any questions please contact Mr Manion at: andrewm@salc.qld.edu.au

Picnic in the Park The annual picnic in the park will be held on Friday 13 March 5pm–8pm. There will be jumping castles for the kids, music for the adults and a relaxing atmosphere for parents to meet some of the teachers at the College.

Andrew Manion Head of Sport

A sausage sizzle and drinks will be available for purchase to assist in funding the event.

Fete Junior School Chocolate Drive During week 2/3/15 - 6/3/15 Goal – 600 + blocks of chocolate

We are collecting chocolate all term so please add a block or 2 to your groceries and bring in during the above week. If every family donates one block we will easily reach this goal. • Make sure you write the student’s name and class on a piece of paper and attach it to the chocolate block (on the underside) OR • Put the bars in a zip lock/paper bag with student’s name and class on the front. • Bars will go to the Tuckshop for secure storage.

The Class that donates the most chocolate will win an end of term Party!!!

Dates to Remember - February/March

SCHOOL CROSSING SUPERVISOR WANTED • Casual rates start at $27.49 per hour • Training provided • Equal opportunity employer Ask at the Junior School Administration for an application package. * All staff are required to undergo a medical and working with children Blue Card check, which will be provided by DTMR.

Friday 20 Years 4 – 6 Swimming Lessons Monday 23 Installation of Pastor Glover Year 6 & MS/SS Chapel 8:30am - WC Hinterland Swimming Carnival – TSS Tuesday 24 Mufti Day – Rainbow Colours P-6 Chapel, Worship Centre – 1.40pm Friday 27 Years 4 – 6 Swimming Carnival – Somerset – 9.00am Scholarship Applications close 4.00pm MARCH Tuesday 3 P-6 Assembly, Multi Purpose Hall – 1.40pm Wednesday 4 - Friday 6 Year 4 Camp Saturday 7 Academic Scholarship Testing

REMINDER: TO ALL PARENTS Please ensure all Tours/Excursions are accepted via the Parent Lounge. This is a requirement for the beginning of each year.

TSA's needed Traffic Safety Attendant Volunteers needed Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. If you are interested, or for more information please contact Joanne Levey joannel@salc.qld.edu.au or phone 5568 5901

Picnic in the park Everyone welcome

Friday the 13th of March 5pm - 8pm Jnr School oval

LIVE MUSIC

by our senior students Please RSVP to pandf@salc.qld.edu.au There will be a jumping castle for the kids. Yo u c a n p u r c h a s e a s a u s a g e s i z z l e , s n a c k s & drinks or bring your own food and drinks. Bring a chair or picnic blanket & enjoy getting together with the school community.

School Fete

Saturday 16 May

Bring everyone! 10am - 4pm

Rides *LIVE MUSIC* Showbags Coffee Chocolate Bed ART tattoos House of Horror

Talent Show

Cent Auction

Fairies & Pirates

Crazy Hair

Food Markets Great Prizes & lots more! you can h Donate to el ow stalls p V H Sell Raffle o l un Please keep an eye T i c k ebte ss e n d i n g

soon to We will ickets t e l f f a ic home r fantast h t i w l l se ss that a l c e h T s a prizes! ost win m e h t sells ay. pizza d

out for the different stalls that will be at the fete and donate to help create fantastic stalls & prizes. All donations are much appreciated.

eer We a re lo oking paren t for s t o stalls h e l p ,as ru up an sist with n Pleas d clean u set p&f i econtact p. f you the c a n in an y wa help y.

Please contact PandF@salc.qld.edu.au if you can help

INSIGHTS Building parent-school partnerships WORDS Michael Grose

10 golden rules for parenting success in 2015

As the requirements for effective parenting shift and there seems even less time to juggle family life, here are 10 golden rules to guide you on your parenting journey. The requirements for effective parenting are changing rapidly, just as the profile of parents is changing. Australian parents are now older than ever (30-34 is now the peak child-bearing age group). Families are smaller than ever (over 50% have two children or less). And as children as a percentage of the population shrink (1 in 6 of our population is under 15, compared to 1 in 3 in developing countries), we are less knowledgeable about children than ever.

influence your children is talk to them. The kitchen table is one place to do this, but there are plenty of other places where you can talk. If talk becomes difficult, try driving with a child or young person in the car with the radio off. They are bound to break sooner or later.

2 Lean on others

Here are 10 golden rules to guide you along your parenting journey in 2015:

A recent Australian survey found that 50% of parents are seriously struggling with their parenting, yet only 10% of this group would ask for help. I suspect there are many reasons for this including fear of being judged a poor parent; that parenting is expected to be hard; and lack of trustworthy support networks. Author Steve Biddulph once said that parents don’t parent well in isolation. He’s right. It’s incredibly important to build your support networks and get ‘sparents’ into your child’s life. Start by working closely with your child’s teacher; a natural ally!

1 Talk more

3 Build confidence

With families shrinking, kids getting busier and tech devices rapidly multiplying the opportunities for family members to engage in face-to-face talk is under serious attack. Regardless of their age, the best way to

With so many parents reporting that they have a child experiencing anxiety it would seem that we are currently experiencing a crisis in children’s confidence. It would also seem that we have somehow forgotten how

If you add to this mix that children are growing up at the speed of light, information technology can make parents seem redundant, and increasingly parents claim lack of time is their biggest impediment to effective parenting. So what is a parent to do?

to absorb children’s fears, insecurities and anxieties, and instill a sense of confidence that these can be overcome. Using a mixture of coaxing, coaching and cajoling parents need to find a way to impart in children a sense of courage to put themselves in new or potentially awkward social situations; to have a go at activities where failure is a real option; and to contribute to the wellbeing of others, which reduces anxiousness and fear. 4

4 Aim for redundancy The great irony of modern parenting is that as families have shrunk parents actually do more, rather than less, for their kids. There are many reasons for this including lack of time to teach; it’s simply easier to do a job ourselves, and the new expectation that ‘good’ parents do everything for their kids. The new ‘strict parent’ is someone who expects their kids to wash their own clothes, cook a meal, and read a book to a younger sibling. The impertinence! Here’s a six-word slogan to help you remember: “When kids can, let them do!”