NewsBites - Term 2, Week 5, 2024
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New College Pastor
This week, we warmly welcomed Ps Nathan Glover as our new College Pastor in a beautiful installation ceremony.
We are blessed to have Ps Nathan join our community, bringing new perspectives and enthusiasm that align perfectly with our mission to foster an environment of faith, learning and growth.
We were blessed to have several pastors join us in celebrating this significant moment. Their support underscores the strong community spirit that we cherish deeply.
Special thanks to key representatives from the Lutheran Church of Australia Queensland District (LCAQD) and Lutheran Education Queensland (LEQ) for their presence and blessings.
We are grateful to 1st Assistant Rev Bishop Ben Hentschke for his message and the installation of Ps Nathan. His participation not only enriched the ceremony but also strengthened the bonds within our wider Lutheran community.
We are excited for the journey ahead with Ps Nathan Glover and are confident that his leadership will guide our students and staff towards enriched spiritual and personal development.
Exciting News
I am thrilled to share some fantastic news that stands as a testament to the hard work and innovative spirit of our community here at Faith Lutheran College.
We have been recognised as an excellence awardee for two prestigious awards in the Australian Education Awards 2024!
Awards and Recognition
Category: Innovation in Curriculum Design for Faith Lutheran College, Plainland
Category: Education Rising Star of the Year for Jabez Castray
This is a remarkable achievement for our College and highlights our commitment to pushing the boundaries of educational excellence. This recognition is not just for the awardees, but for all of our hardworking staff members. Every member of our team contributes to creating an environment that challenges the conventional and encourages progressive thinking.
Special thanks to Jen Gibb and her team, whose dedication to teaching and learning continues to lead us forward. Jen’s leadership and the team’s efforts in curriculum development have undoubtedly played a crucial role in garnering this award.
Let us also not forget that this is not our first accolade. Being finalists in 2020 for the Best Non-State Secondary School across Australia underlines our ongoing commitment to excellence.
The winners will be announced at the Australian Education Awards on Friday 9 August 2024.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our parents and guardians for your continuing support of our staff members as we continue to challenge the traditional school model.
We also acknowledge our students and the important role they play in our College community’s ongoing evolution as a progressive and contemporary learning environment.
Here’s to many more achievements and a future filled with even greater success!
Yours in Christ,
Doug Braiden
College Principal
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Now is the time to enrol for Year 7, 2026
The College will begin processing Year 7 enrolments for 2026 in Term 3.
While we give priority to current families of the College, we are unable to hold a spot for a student if we have not received an application form for them to join us.
If you have a member of the family who is currently in Year 5, please submit an application as a matter of urgency.
As we continue to grow in appeal to local families, we will continue to reach our capacity for Year 7 enrolments earlier and earlier. We already have a significant waitlist for 2025 enrolments.
If you have children – school age or younger – and see them enrolling at Faith in the future, please consider submitting an enrolment application for them now for peace of mind.
We currently have applications in our system through to 2029…it’s never too early to plan ahead!
Bianca Coleborn
Director of Marketing
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2024 Intergenerational Project: Buddy Search
We are looking for Senior (55+) buddies to work with our Year 7 students for our 2024 Intergenerational Project.
Our 'Creating Intergenerational Connections through Storytelling' project provides the opportunity for Year 7 students to work with buddies from older generations to learn about their life experiences, recollections and memories from years gone by.
If you or someone you know would be able to spend some time with our students once or twice per week during July and August, please let us know by completing the form below.
The feedback from the Year 7 students and their older buddies from the first two years of this project has been wonderful.
Grandparents of students from all year levels are most welcome to participate, as are other local residents who may not have family connections at Faith.
Free Parent Webinar with Elevate
We’re excited to announce that Elevate Education will be hosting their next parent webinar on exam preparation on 22 May.
Elevate works with our students, delivering high-impact workshops on study skills, motivation, wellbeing, and exam preparation. By tuning into their webinar series, you’ll learn how you can help support your child at home by reinforcing the skills they’re learning at school.
Sign up for the session below to learn how you can help your child to get ready for their assessments and walk into the exam hall feeling confident and prepared.
How You Can Help Your Child Prepare for Exams
Wednesday 22 May, 6.30-7.30pm
Click here to register for free
Here’s what Elevate will be covering on the night:
✅ Prioritise your child’s high-impact work to maximise marks
✅ Improve your child’s time management to avoid last-minute preparation
✅ Help your child study effectively using past papers
We hope to see you there!
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Foundation Phase Learning and Assessment
In Foundation Phase, teachers are committed to meeting their students where they are at. We very much believe that this phase is a key juncture to support students to meet and develop important literacy and numeracy skills, as well as to develop and spark joy for learning that becomes increasingly challenging in nature.
Our Project Based Learning (PBL) approach allows us to blend learning areas and assessment together in ways that authentically replicate real-world learning, where many skills and understandings are drawn upon.
The Year 7 group have just embarked upon their Intergenerational Project, where students learn from community buddies, pairing skills like creative writing, interviewing, public-speaking, design skills and use of technology and, importantly, key interpersonal skills.
If you know of an older adult in the community who might like to help us by visiting the College and working with our Foundation students, please consider inviting them to join this fantastic project. Click here to complete the form.
Of course, the different types of assessment, and blending of subjects can occasionally be tricky for students and families to navigate. Please refer to the assessment calendar, and touch base with Foundation Coaches or classroom teachers to clarify any expectations around assessment. The following items from our Leaner Policy are also essential for successful engagement in learning:
- Attendance: Given that a great deal of learning occurs in class, and much is also hands-on, a minimum of 90% attendance is needed, and students must initiate contact with their teachers to check that they are appropriately caught up on learning if they miss a class.
- Engagement: Positive choices and engagement reflect commitment to learning and allow all learners (teachers and students) to work without disruption.
- Resources: After a term and a half, you would be surprised about how much equipment (pencil cases, laptop chargers) are in lost property, or left in lockers or at home. Time spent looking for resources, or having uncharged laptops, is not a productive way to spend learning time.
- Assessment: Classwork, homework and assessment items should be completed as per the instruction given by the teacher. If you ever need clarity about these things, please reach out to the relevant teachers or Heads of Learning. Please apply for extensions in the instance of illness or misadventure or reach out early if your student is experiencing difficulty with set tasks.
Every year, we look forward to showcasing the fantastic student work that occurs. Our students are producing some amazing work, so please join us at the end of the year for our Foundation Festival.
Lisbeth Goldston
Head of Learning - Foundation Phase
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Year 9 Flight Plans: Accelerated Pathways
The External Exploration Showcase was very well attended last Wednesday by many of our students and their parents. The benefit of attending these events is that they help to understand the complex but exciting opportunity that is Exploration subject selection. In addition to the huge range of subjects on offer, there is also the prospect, in the second year of the Exploration Phase, to access subjects from the Graduate Phase. These range from certificate programs through to subjects such as Essential Maths.
For those students who completed some of the traditional electives this year, they may have the opportunity to enrol in an equivalent General subject. For example, if a student completed Dance 1A and 1B, they may be eligible to enrol in General Dance in Year 10, effectively starting Year 11 Dance early. Students applying for these General subjects will need to demonstrate their ability to meet the demands of the writing component of the course. If you are interested in any of these accelerated pathways, please indicate these intentions on the flight plan. We will work through each student’s application on a case-by-case basis.
Assessment Season: No one’s favourite time of the year.
As we come to the end of the term, we have our assessment pieces on the horizon. I urge you to engage with the Assessment Calendar that was emailed out on 21 April (the second one has the attachment). On the occasion that students require extensions, the application process can be accessed via Parent Lounge/Links/Curriculum/2024 Exploration Phase Extension Request Form. This semi-automated system allows us to keep track of requests and is preferable to email requests.
Lou Bruce
Head of Learning - Exploration Phase
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As we hit the half-way mark of Term 2, our Graduate Phase students are feeling the pinch of Senior Studies. With assessments seemingly around every corner, now is a good time for students to prioritise their wellbeing by establishing regular study routines, minimising the external pressures of part-time jobs and seeking timely support from their teachers.
This term, the Graduate Phase does not have a dedicated exam block. Instead, many exams are scheduled to run during regular school hours, with minimal impact to lessons. All details regarding these exams are communicated home via email, so it is vitally important that all families engage with these communications.
Over the next couple of weeks, all Graduate Phase students will have a dedicated meeting with one of our Middle Leaders. These Academic Progress Meetings are designed as a follow-up on their SET Plan meeting, which was conducted at the end of Year 10.
During these meetings, students will discuss their academic journey to date and evaluate their progress towards their set goals. Students have completed a form during Phase Coach this week in preparation for these meetings, and an email was sent home by Mrs Jen Gibb last week. As Phase Leaders, we are excited to roll out this new initiative which will provide timely support and guidance to our students.
I take this opportunity to also remind all families of our Student Extraordinary Leave Policy, and the strict QCAA regulations surrounding attendance and assessment submissions. I strongly encourage you all to avoid taking time off during term time. Missing just one day of lessons disadvantages students greatly, even if there is no assessment occurring on that day. I urge you to view each and every lesson as vitally important to your success in your subjects and make the most of every minute with your teacher.
While our Year 12 students might be feeling like their Senior Schooling years are dragging on, we are reminded that in just six months, they will be finished school forever.
In Study this week, our Year 12 students enjoyed a presentation by UQ, where they discussed the logistics of moving out of home (either for work or study). Students learned about the various student accommodation options, renting processes, budgeting for household bills and Centrelink payments.
Many students were interested in hearing about the numerous accommodation scholarships offered by tertiary institutions and were urged to apply for these as early as possible. Our Careers Counsellor, Ms Jo Robbins, is a guru at this, and I encourage all students who are thinking about moving away from home to study next year to talk with Ms Robbins about these opportunities. Many are open now, with some closing shortly.
The next six months are going to fly by, and we look forward to sharing this journey with you!
Emma O'Shea
Head of Learning - Graduate Phase
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Interhouse Cross Country Carnival Age Champions
Congratulations to the following Age Champions from our Cross Country Carnival which took place earlier this term. The medals were presented at this week's formal assembly.
Girls
Age | First | Second | Third |
---|---|---|---|
12 Yrs
|
Adison Storta
|
Adeline Halstead
|
Lyla Rowe
|
13 Yrs
|
Adelaide White
|
Ruby Lee
|
Ella Gillies
|
14 Yrs
|
Sophie Lehmann
|
Maya McLeod
|
Tessa Wilson
|
15 Yrs
|
Claire Hopper
|
Mia Hardy
|
Isabella Lehmann
|
16 Yrs
|
Lily Hetherington
|
Kaitlyn O’Reilly
|
|
Open
|
Eden Passmore
|
Bree-Anna Owens
|
Ava Francis
|
Boys
Age | First | Second | Third |
---|---|---|---|
12 Yrs
|
Isaac Varley
|
Max Fleming
|
Declan Waddington
|
13 Yrs
|
Ozzie Kenny
|
Cooper Brown
|
Jesse Sanders
|
14 Yrs
|
Jayden Gordon
|
Cooper Matthews
|
Riley Sippel
|
15 Yrs
|
Jackson Bridge
|
Brodie Proos
|
Jack Millard
|
16 Yrs
|
Joshua Lehmann
|
Declyn Cable
|
Thabani Ngwyena
|
Open
|
Lincoln Collins
|
Lachlan Harrison
|
Lane Morris
|