Dear parents and friends,

Welcome back to the 2022 school year. It has been an unusual start once again, however, we are getting pretty good at being flexible and resilient. I trust that you have had a refreshing break over the summer and that you are ready for another year of opportunities and learning. Once we welcomed the students back on campus for Week 3, there was a buzz of excitement, big smiles and a few nerves. Schools are not quite the same without students present.

For many, returning to school is a time for new beginnings, though for most it’s a return to the familiar and the excitement about learning new things and catching up with friends. As well as welcoming over 100 new students at the start of the year, we also welcomed several new staff members. Please join me in making them all feel welcome to our Peace community.

Last week our School Leaders were inducted and I am looking forward to seeing them grow in their roles throughout this year. The Gold Dingoes captain and vice-captain in the Primary school have already had an opportunity to hone their public speaking skills as they lead assemblies for Term 1. Delivering these via Zoom has added another dimension and additional learning opportunities.

In Secondary school, the new Vertical House structure provides the leaders with a fantastic opportunity to be part of something new, to make their mark on what they want Peace to look like moving forward. I look forward to seeing how this evolves over the year.

I wish you all every blessing for 2022 and look forward to seeing you at some of the activities and events that will take place throughout this year.

Elisabeth Fenske
Principal

Despite the stalled start to our year, the Secondary students have done a great job of getting on with business despite the continued restrictions and challenges. Year 11 and 12 students and staff were pleased to get going early in Week 2 and make a start with ATAR subjects via Zoom and we have been very pleased to finally welcome the students back on campus in person.

We have welcomed several new students into the Secondary school this year across most year levels and it is wonderful to see them all settling in well and becoming integral parts of our school community.

As we approach the middle of the 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 pandemic events unfolding we have been working hard to remain focused on student outcomes and ensure we are supporting students in achieving their potential.

Peter Cummings
Director of Secondary

Year 11 and 12 students have been working on their SET plans and we have been reviewing QCE progress data to make sure they are in suitable classes and working towards successfully achieving their Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE).

After one term, students on subject contracts need to seriously consider their initial choices if they continue to have difficulty in certain subject areas. Parental support in monitoring students’ approaches to learning is very much appreciated and we are looking forward to seeing students satisfying their contract period successfully.

Academic pastoral care staff are experienced and well placed to offer students and families good advice and alternatives to current subject pathways if significant difficulties are experienced.

Study skills, learner types, learning environments and QCE scenarios will be some of the topics covered in pastoral care to support their studies this term.

Year 10 are now registered with Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) and now have QCE learning accounts and are set to start accumulating credits towards their QCE.

The academic pastoral care team are working through the initializing of SET (Secondary Education & Training) Plans and students have been asked to share their current strengths, career ambitions and interests with parents at home to begin the process of transition towards graduation, further study and employment.

Students in Years 7-9 are settling into meeting their new teachers and routines after the extended summer holiday and we are seeing some solid peer support from our vertical House groups.

I would like to encourage parents to consider 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 & gaming.

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 our 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.

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 and fair 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.

As part of our restructuring, we see Year 6 move into our Primary school, which means that we have the absolute pleasure of holding on to the familiar faces of our Year 6 students for one more year. At the other end of Primary school, our Prep class children are clearly enjoying ‘learning the ropes’ and getting used to a new routine. It is a testament to all who care for them how quickly they have settled in.

Reports from all classes are that children have settled in well, are working hard, and are doing a great job of exemplifying the Peace Values of Peace, Excellence, Respect and Community.

We have all had to adapt to our new ‘normal’, and we have seen assemblies, chapels, Parent Information Evenings, and even our Captain’s Inductions all carried out via Zoom. All have been well attended, and we look forward to establishing great partnerships between home, school and students.

Unfortunately, COVID remains very much with us still, so if you think your child has COVID symptoms, please take them for a PCR test to determine if this is the case, and as always, we appreciate you keeping us informed of this intention and, of course, the result.

We feel certain that the children will enjoy the learning we have planned for them this year and that they will be both challenged and inspired by it in equal measure! Here’s to a successful year ahead!

Best wishes,

Laura Robinson & Christina Jacobsen
Directors of Primary

In the world of education, Summer is very much synonymous with the start of a new academic year, and we are delighted that ours has gotten off to a great start! Despite the slight delay, the children have returned to school full of positivity and enthusiasm.

During our first two weeks, we are delighted to have welcomed several new families, children, and staff, as well as welcoming back those already part of our school community.

During the end of year break, our Prep, Year 3 and Year 6 classrooms were refurbished. Prep classrooms had a makeover, Year 3 was refurbished into a large flexible classroom and Year 6 and a transformation from two standard classrooms into one large flexible learning space.

All classrooms now have brand new wall coverings and carpet and Year 3 and Year 6 classrooms have new furniture.

Such lovely fresh learning spaces!

To say it’s been a bit wet in a lot of places in Australia recently would be an understatement. In some places there has been so much rain that towns have been cut off, there has been inundation and destruction, and sadly lives have been lost. It has literally been a stormy time this year, and figuratively, we could say it’s been a stormy start to the year with the disruption that Covid has caused, including our delayed start to school.

In the Gospel of Mark (4:35-41), there is a story of Jesus calming a storm on a lake. Jesus and His disciples were sailing across to the other side of the lake and Jesus was asleep when a furious squall came up, threatening to swamp the boat. In fear, the disciples woke him and said, “Don’t you care if we drown?” Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the waves, telling them to be quiet and still. Immediately they died down and it was completely calm. The disciples were totally amazed, and Jesus questions them as to why they had such a lack of faith.

Their lack of faith reminds us that even those who lived and walked with Jesus, who saw his miracles, and heard his teaching still found it difficult to be 100 per cent faith-filled all the time. In that way, the disciples were a lot like us. If Jesus was able to rescue them from the storm, he is also able to rescue us from the storms of everyday life we experience - the burden of all the worries we carry.

Ultimately, Jesus never promised that we will not see storms in life (as a matter of fact, he has told us to expect trouble), but he did promise that he will be with us through them. He will never leave his people alone in the midst of trouble; with perseverance, they will overcome. Faith in Christ is never misplaced.

The ultimate storm in life is separation from God due to sin, the root cause of all our problems. However, peace with God was won for us through Jesus Christ. That is grace. May you have a blessed year.

God bless,

Pastor Adam Eime
College Pastor

With the new timetable this year, chapel services will be a bit different from previous years. We now have a Secondary school chapel on a Wednesday morning and a Primary school chapel on Friday afternoons. With the disrupted start and reduced numbers at assemblies and gatherings, we have been live-streaming chapel from the Peace Centre with a small ‘live audience’ and most students in their classrooms. Thankfully, we don’t think it will be long before we are able to have chapel altogether once more.

I’m incredibly excited to step into a new role this year and to be working alongside a fantastic team of individuals whose complementary personalities and strengths make them an absolute asset to Peace.

This year, the Pastoral and Wellbeing Team includes our four Heads of House:

• Sarah Tolhurst (Blue Dolphins)
• Adele Wright (Gold Dingoes)
• Kelly Dare (Green Eagles)
• Jason Atkins (Red Emperors)

It also includes key team members such as Chantal Macpherson, our Student Welfare Officer; Krystal Taylor, our Indigenous Education Coordinator; and Vicki McCrea, our College Nurse. We are also blessed to have home group teachers, pastoral care teachers and, of course, Pastor Adam, also supporting our students’ wellbeing in 2022.

The Parent Guide - Pastoral & Wellbeing Care for Your Young Person, will hopefully give you a better idea of who we are and what we do, as well as some important information to help you understand some of our processes around student wellbeing and behaviour development.

In the coming weeks, you will receive more information via email about the pastoral care and wellbeing space for 2022 and our team here at Peace.

Kirsten Anderson
Director of Wellbeing

Each year Peace Lutheran College intentionally promotes the College values of Peace, Excellence, Respect and Community. The way the staff do this is by focussing on one value each term. In Term One, we focus on the value of Peace.

Peace – we encourage grace and harmony, which is key to developing relationships between students and teachers. At Peace Lutheran College our teachers build relationships with students get to know them, build their confidence and promote learning. These relationships enhance the partnership between parents, students and teachers. It is these partnerships that make Peace a quality learning environment for all.

Welcome back for 2022. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Alex Collins and I am the new Sports Coordinator at Peace Lutheran College. I have been at the College for just over two years and am extremely excited to be in a new role for 2022.

The year in sport is well and truly underway with numerous TCN trials, the CISSA season having just commenced and our swimming carnival fast approaching.

I am seriously looking forward to a big year in sport. Fingers crossed we get all three carnivals in! If, at any time you have any questions regarding sport at Peace Lutheran College, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours in sport,

Alex Collins
Sports Coordinator

Our swimming carnival is scheduled for Friday 4^th March (Week 6) at the Marlin Coast Swimming Pool. Students are encouraged to attend on the day and race against their friends to score points for their respective Houses.

This is our first swimming carnival since 2020, as last year’s carnival was unfortunately cancelled due to an impending cyclone. This year, rather than students swimming in age groups, they will instead swim in year levels. This is designed to make the day a fun one for all students.

The CISSA season began last week with a home game against Trinity Bay State High School. This is the first game of a shortened 7-round season with games to follow against Cairns State High School, Woree State High School, Redlynch State College, St Mary’s, St Augustine’s/Monica’s and St Andrew’s.

Round 1 Wrap Up

Out of the 10 matches played against Trinity Bay State High School, Peace won four games with girls basketball, girls soccer, girls volleyball and boys basketball all starting the season with a win. Although it was a hot afternoon, the students represented Peace with pride and gave it everything they had. Our next game is on Wednesday 2^nd
March with an away fixture against St Andrew’s Catholic College.

Congratulations to our Soccer Girls

Ella Nulley and Abigail Anderson have been selected in the TCN Soccer 13-15 years girls team. Both Ella and Abigail will now contest the Peninsula trials on Thursday, 3rd March.

Congratulations girls and we wish you all the very best!

TCN Trials

Several TCN trials are being held over the coming weeks and months. Trial dates are advertised on student notices and on the sports noticeboard, located near the tuckshop. If your child/ren is interested in a particular TCN trial, I encourage them to come and see either myself in the HPE staffroom or Miss Altovise in the Staff Lounge to collect the relevant paperwork.

We would like to welcome returning and new families to Peace for 2022. The year ahead will be a new and exciting one for our students.

Library Lessons

Library lessons for our Kindergarten to Year 9 students have commenced. At Peace, we aim to instil a culture of reading for pleasure in all of our students, therefore regular silent reading is imperative, and is part of each visit to the library. Our extensive recreational reading collection contains both print and digital e-books and audiobooks for our students to enjoy. Classes also have regular curriculum tailored lessons focussed on literacy and literature, library resources, systems, referencing and researching.

Readers Cup 2022

Tryouts for this year's Readers Cup will commence shortly with teams being announced at the end of Term. We are looking for some super readers for this year’s teams:

• Year 5/6 – One team of four students
• Year 7/8 – Two teams of four students

Details for tryouts will be announced soon in the Learning Centre. The Far North Regional Readers Cup will be held in Cairns in June, with the winners competing at the State Readers Cup in Brisbane in September.

Easter Book Fair & Book Club

Due to the late start to the term, Issue 1 of Book Club was not distributed, however, Issue 2 will be out shortly. Our Easter Book Fair, themed “Dive into Reading”, will occur during the week of 21^st March. We will be selling books, posters and other trinkets in the library. A percentage of sales will come back to the library to purchase resources for our students.

Happy reading,

Tanya Mills & Marcelle Humphreys

We are excited to welcome all new and returning families to OSHC. The children have been working on learning new routines, getting to know one another and welcoming new friends, displaying a strong sense of wellbeing and respect.

Children have participated in a variety of rich and meaningful inquiry-based experiences, along with programmed activities that stem from children's interests and community events, such as:

• Celebrating Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year with art and crafts
• “Love your pet day”, creating pet profiles, pet portraits, discussions on how we care for our pets and setting up an animal interaction table
• Sharing interests and ideas with dinosaur and dragon mobile creations
• Creating realistic portraits of animals, self-portraits and other people
• Science experiments
• Australian animal trivia, facts and drawings

Children follow and extend their own interests with enthusiasm, curiosity, energy, and concentration. Outdoor exploration, play and group activities have been enjoyed each afternoon, including tiggy, bullrush, basketball and handball.

Our educators use a range of strategies to engage children in activities supporting their emotional, social and physical development. They encourage children to explore, build relationships, problem solve and be creative. They also recognise spontaneous ‘teachable moments’ and use them to build on children’s experiences.

We thank you for all your support here at Peace Lutheran OSHC and we look forward to seeing you.

Mallory Lloyd
Service Leader

Introducing our OSHC team members

• Mallory Lloyd – Service Leader
• Lauryn Sciacca – Educator
• Ruriko Hasegawa – Educator
• Georgia Santucci – Educator
• Taylah Maynard – Educator

Please be advised of the updated outside school hours care operating hours:

• Before School Care: 6:30 am - 8:30 am
• After School Care: 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm

Congratulations to our 2015 graduates, Will and Georgia.

Story credit: JCU: College of Medicine & Dentistry Facebook Page

JCU graduate doctors Georgia Hikila and Will Stockley are about to begin their internship in Hervey Bay ... as newlyweds!

Georgia and Will went to school together in Cairns, and romance blossomed during their JCU medical degree. Another thing they have in common: Both received academic prizes at graduation. Georgia won the Year 6 Ethics Prize and Will the Associate Professor Will Cairns Prize in Palliative Care.

Will was born in England, and his family moved to Nhulunbuy (Gove) in the Northern Territory to work for Mission Aviation Fellowship when he was 11. His family spent seven years in Nhulunbuy, working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – his dad as a property maintenance manager and his mum as a teacher.

Will went to Peace Lutheran College for boarding school in Cairns, where he and Georgia became friends. Last year for their clinical elective, Georgia finally got to visit where Will grew up.

“In January I did 10 weeks in Nhulunbuy at the Gove District Hospital maternity ward,” Georgia says. “The hospital is built on sacred birthing land with women travelling from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities all over remote NT to deliver their babies. I was so privileged to participate in multiple births per week and it was the highlight of my degree. Will also joined working in the ED at Gove hospital for five weeks.”

Will’s parents returned to England in 2016 and weren’t able to be at graduation but celebrated his Airlie Beach wedding via Livestream. Georgia’s parents live in Cairns – her mum is a GP and her dad, a nurse, is Tongan. Her twin sister also graduated from medicine this year, at UNSW, and her brother is studying physiotherapy to round out a family of health professionals.

Congratulations, Georgia and Will, on your achievements and your marriage.

We would like to extend a warm welcome to the new families who have joined the Peace community.

At the moment the P&F is unfortunately very restricted in what we can do due to Queensland Government mandates, but please be assured we are working behind the scenes and as soon as the school mandates lift and we have the green light we will be ready to go!

In the coming weeks, we are planning to host a 2022 think tank planning meeting via zoom. Further details and a zoom link will be available shortly.

2022 Executive Committee

• President - Larisa Millyard
• Vice President - Lee Storck
• Treasurer - Manuela Kensley
• Assistant Treasurer- Wendy Rodgers
• Secretary - This position is currently vacant. Please contact us if you would like to know more about this committee position.
• Assistant Secretary - This position is currently vacant. Please contact us if you would like to know more about this committee position.

I would like to extend a warm welcome to Wendy who has joined the P&F executive this year. At the moment the secretary positions remain vacant. If you are interested in finding out what is involved with these positions please contact us and would be happy to have a chat.

We are looking forward to a successful year and look forward to seeing some new faces at our meetings and events.

Kind regards,

Larisa Millyard
P&F President

We have plans to host both a Trivia Night and a Movie Night later this year. These events are lots of fun for both the organisers and our students.

If you are interested in being involved in these upcoming events, please let us know. You can email us to express your interest, or come along to our next meeting - Wednesday the 9th of March. Refreshments are available from 6:45 pm, with the meeting commencing at 7:00 pm.

Our Parents & Friends meetings are open to all those in our College community. We need your ideas, enthusiasm, skills, experience and friendship. This is a great way to learn more about what is happening within your school and allows you the opportunity to contribute to our school community. Every parent/caregiver of a child at the College is an automatic member of our Parents & Friends group and we look forward to welcoming you to this next meeting.

• When: Tuesday, 15th March 2022
• Time: 6:45 pm - refreshments; 7:00 pm meeting
• Where: The Staff Lounge, Peace Lutheran College (follow the pathway to behind the Peace Centre)

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.

Homelessness is a genuine issue that affects many people in our local community. The College has an ongoing partnership with Rosies - Friends on the Street, with our senior students volunteering on a regular basis.

As part of our community drive in support of the work carried out by Rosies - Friends on the Street and Ruth's Women's Shelter, we would be grateful for any items that you may wish to donate to these causes. Suggested items that are in need can be found below. We thank you in advance for any contributions you may be able to make.

This is an ongoing initiative and partnership, with donations being accepted throughout the year. Please drop your donated items into the Administration office.

The College has a team of dedicated staff who, together, look out for the 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.

Peace Lutheran College acknowledges the Yirrganydji & Djabugay People, Traditional Custodians of the land in which we live and work. We pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging for they hold the memories, traditions, culture and hopes of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.