NewsBites - Term 3, Week 4, 2024

Dear Parents,

In Chapel last week, we sung a song called, “Live Like You’re Loved.”

There is a verse in the song that I think resonates with all parents in this world, myself included:

I'm telling you something
This racing, this running
Oh, you're working way too hard (you're working way too hard)
And this perfection you're chasing
Is just energy wasted
Cause he loves you like you are

In these simple words, an important truth is revealed or affirmed to us – we do NOT need to earn God’s approval through the many things that we do. The measure of our worth is not measured in the work that we do or fail to do. It is measured by a God who uses a logic different to our natural thinking – a God who has chosen to lavish us with love by choice, not as a reward for hard effort.

It's so easy to forget that God is good, gracious and loving to us. The things we do aren’t always great, but through Jesus there is forgiveness.

Thank God for that!

God bless,

Nathan Glover
College Pastor

Every Day Counts

At Faith, we believe that regular school attendance is a fundamental pillar of a student’s success and wellbeing. Consistent attendance ensures that students can fully participate in their educational journey, building a strong foundation for lifelong learning. We recognise the significant role that regular attendance plays in academic achievement and the development of a supportive and connected school community.

To understand the impact of attendance, consider the following: 

• In a school year of around 200 days, having 10 days absent equates to a 95% attendance rate. 
• Missing 20 days of school equates to a 90% attendance rate, or four weeks off school (almost half a term). 
• An 80% attendance rate means around 40 days absent, nearly an entire term. 

These absences can accumulate quickly, leading to gaps in learning and decreased academic performance. Studies suggest that any level of absence can negatively impact academic achievement, with larger numbers of absences leading to more significant declines.

Academically, regular attendance is crucial. Each school day builds on the previous one, creating a cumulative learning experience that cannot be replicated outside the classroom. Missing even a few days can disrupt this continuity, making it harder for students to keep up with lessons and understand new concepts. Consistent attendance supports a deeper understanding of the course material and higher levels of achievement. 

Avoidable absences, such as family holidays during the school term, can disrupt learning continuity and hinder academic progress. We encourage families to schedule vacations during school breaks to ensure that students can fully benefit from their education.

Beyond academics, attendance is essential for student wellbeing, connection and belonging. School is not just a place for intellectual growth; it is also a community where students form friendships, develop social skills and find connection. Regular attendance helps students feel a part of this community, fostering a sense of belonging that is critical for their emotional and social development. It provides stability and routine, which are key components of a supportive learning environment.

Our Heads of Wellbeing and Pastoral Care staff are committed to working closely with families to improve student attendance. We understand that there are often legitimate reasons for absences, and it is important for the College to be informed about these circumstances so that our Heads of Wellbeing can effectively support students and their families. By working together, we can develop tailored strategies to address any challenges and ensure that each student can maintain consistent attendance. 

Some strategies to assist with getting students to school include:

• Talking with your children about the importance of regular attendance
• Helping your children develop a positive view of education and its importance
• Establishing consistent nighttime and morning routines
• Showing interest in students' schooling, including their lessons and interests
• Being an active participant in College events such as Information Nights and Parent-Teacher Interviews
• Keeping open lines of communication with the College when attendance issues arise.

Together, we can foster a culture of consistent attendance and shared responsibility, ensuring our students reap the full benefits of their education. 

Let's work hand in hand to create a thriving, connected school community where every student feels valued and empowered.

Reid Dobson
Director of Communities and Culture

The Draft Date is the Due Date

I wanted to take this opportunity to reinforce an often-overlooked aspect of assignments. Students’ assignments are drafted with the goal of providing feedback on how to improve their grades, identifying errors in the interpretation of the task sheet, collecting evidence of student authenticity, and managing word count. The Exploration Phase is where we build good habits for the years ahead, and handing in full drafts is one of those habits.

Essentially, the more complete a draft is, the more substantial the feedback. Full drafts have the added benefit of keeping students organized and reducing the anxiety of final deadlines. If things go wrong at the last minute, we can mark the draft instead of the final. If there are last-minute computer issues, we have a backup.

Once the feedback is given, students with full drafts have the easier task: to polish their work in the last week before the final is due. Students who hand in partial drafts are burdened with the onerous task of completing the remaining work in the same week. Full drafts allow teachers to identify issues with word length. In the Graduation Phase, going over the word limit incurs substantial penalties, something we need to learn to control early.

There are many ways students can draft for themselves in addition to the formal feedback from teachers. We have access to a wonderful resource called Writer’s Toolbox; students can upload their writing into the toolbox, which then provides hints and prompts on how to improve the writing. Self-drafting using AI is another way to improve your work; however, it needs to be used in an appropriate way. Once the original ideas have been written, use an AI prompt such as:

“Act as my proofreader. In this passage: [paste your text here], are there any grammatical or stylistic errors I should be aware of?”

This maintains the integrity of the student's own ideas and work while getting assistance with writing.

The advantages of the full draft are many, and it is a practice we would like to see students embrace. It has significant impacts on grades and reduces anxiety around assignments—a win all around.

Lou Bruce
Head of Learning - Exploration Phase

Can you believe that we are about to mark our ‘100 days to go’ milestone with our Year 12 students? How time has flown! Next Tuesday 6 August, there will be cake and celebration at first break outside L block. We look forward to celebrating this important achievement with all our Senior students. 

Formal preparations are well under way, and students are encouraged to regularly engage with their emails so that they understand all requirements pertaining to this event – we truly want all our students to enjoy this special moment in their schooling lives.

As we find ourselves approaching the middle of Term 3, families are reminded of our Term 3 exam block, which runs from Monday 28 August to Friday 6 September (Weeks 8 and 9). Students will only attend the College if they have an exam or are required onsite to complete VET modules. A full timetable and further information will be emailed out to families early Week 5. It is important that students check the approved equipment list (click here) to ensure that you are well prepared for these assessments.

Meanwhile, Graduate Phase General English and Literature students recently experienced the wonderful world of Shakespeare’s Macbeth as performed by theatrical company, Grin and Tonic. Students enjoyed an immersion of theatrics and puppetry as a way of providing additional context to their Senior Studies and support for preparations for next term’s External Assessments.

Speaking of External Assessments, all families are encouraged to check the EA timetable, which is published on the QCAA website (click here). If any student notices that they have a clash, please let Mrs O’Shea know. QCAA will organise a rescheduled session for them. Families are reminded that our Year 12 students will have a SWOT week (Study Without Teaching) in Week 3 prior to the commencement of the EA block. During this week, students will remain at home to study, unless they require tutorial support from their teacher. More detailed information will be provided about this exam block at the end of Term 3. 

With plenty of illnesses going around at the moment, many students have been applying for AARA. Thank you to all families who have reached out for support and ensured that the appropriate documentation is supplied to support the application. 

Please continue to do this; you can access both the Student Statement and QCAA medical report from Brightspace and from Parent Lounge > Links > Curriculum. Please contact our AARA inbox at aara@faithlcs.qld.edu.au for further support. 

Students with short-term AARAs (especially exam condition adjustments due to mental health conditions such as anxiety) are reminded that these applications are only current for six months. Families have been emailed reminders to have a new medical report completed to extend these adjustments. Please contact the AARA team if you have any queries.

While most summative internal assessments for General Subjects are now complete, students are reminded that the due time for all assignments is the end of lesson. Due times are enforced by teachers, and submissions received after the conclusion of the lesson in which they are due will be deemed late. In these cases, the draft submission may then be used to generate a mark.

Emma O'Shea
Head of Learning - Graduate Phase

We need a revival. A revival is a time of renewing and refreshing in our faith. Peace Lutheran Church, Gatton is stepping out to do our bit to provide opportunity for revival in us, and for any who would like to share in this time. 

Whether you have been going to church all your life, or you have no idea what it is about, a Revival can be great thing to attend. We need times dedicated to the Lord so that we can shift our own directions and desires from the centre of our lives and replace them with God and His Word. Spending time in the Word, with consecutive times of worship has the impact of recalibrating our lives with Christ at the centre.

A revival is a time where you go all out for mission. It can be a great time to bring a friend who may not know anything about the faith, but is open to listen, or ready to give it a try. With great times of lively worship, focussed prayer and quality, anointed preaching, these times can be life transforming, and well worth offering and invitation to your neighbour of friend, or your family members who may have left their faith behind in their lives. 

Starting at 6pm and finishing about 8pm, we are offering coffee and nibblies afterwards, so that we can fellowship, and provide Prayer and a chat afterwards if required. 

There will be an offering for those who would like to give, mainly to cover costs for the evening, but also as a thank you to God for what He is doing. 

Wonder World is an organised Christian event filled with rides, mosh pit, food trucks, guest singers, merch, and more. 

When: 30 August 2024

Location: The Butter Factory - 270 Jacaranda Ave, Kingston QLD 4114

Time:  Gates open: 4pm
           Main stage starts: 5:30pm
           Festival reopens: 9:30pm
           WonderWorld ends: 10:30pm

Ticket Price: from $18

Please see Mr Kenny or Mikayla Willey if you're interested in attending. If there's enough interest, a Faith bus may be organised to transport students.

For more information, please visit the website. 

EMERGE Women in Sport

Last year, Faith's EMERGE event was recognised as the Women in Sport event of the year by ACHPER. This year's event is looking to be even better!

On Wednesday 14 August, we look forward to hosting over 140 girls from Lockyer Valley secondary schools who will participate in number of activities, engage with local sporting and health organisations and listen to some fantastic guest speakers such as LVRC Mayor Tanya Milligan, Katrina Robins, Maria Graff and Tracey Thompson.

Faith would like to thank the Lockyer Valley Regional Council for their ongoing support and local businesses Gatton Auto Electrical and Eyecare Plus Gatton for their support of Women in Sport.