Every day matters! Every school day matters! In the current climate with the pandemic still very much at large, and what seems to be more severe than a normal variant of the seasonal flu, this is more important than ever. It is likely that most students will need to take time off school due to illness this flu season. Therefore, it is important to make the most of the time that they are able to attend school and ensure that there is no unnecessary absenteeism.

Missing one day of school per fortnight adds up to four weeks per year or 52 weeks over the child’s schooling. That is almost a year and a half of learning they would miss out on. There is no surprise that research confirms a strong link between attendance and student outcomes.

Compounding the issue, we have also seen an increase in students arriving late for classes, assemblies and chapels; both in the morning and when returning from break. This has been addressed with students and correspondence has been sent home to families. When students arrive late for Homegroup, they miss out on important information, and it doesn’t set them up for a good start to their day. School starts at 8:20 am for Primary school students and 8:15 am for Secondary school students and we appeal to you to support us by ensuring students are dropped off in time for them to unpack their bags and get organised for the day ahead.

God bless,

Elisabeth Fenske
College Principal

This week we have had a group of Year 7 students and staff from Gulf Christian College (GCC) in Normanton stay with us and get immersed into boarding life at Peace. GCC is a small Christian school that caters for students up to Year 9. After that, boarding is a necessity for many students. The aim of this program is to give the students an opportunity to experience boarding at Peace, so if they enrol as boarders in later years, it is not such a daunting experience to leave home and go to a boarding school. Later in the year, a similar program for Year 8 and 9 students from GCC will take place.

As I write this, it is near the end of the month of May, and just over the halfway point of the term. And a lot has happened in the term so far, such as NAPLAN testing, ANZAC commemorations, assessment, Cross Country carnivals, excursions and more. It feels like a busy time, and I am sure if someone were to ask you if you were “busy” you would say yes.

I recently learnt a new term to describe this time of year, because apparently for a lot of people, May is a busier month than others. That term is “Maycember”. December is a busy month due to the end of school activities and the Christmas season, so May has become Maycember because it feels as busy as, maybe even more, than December. Would you agree?

We all have responsibilities and obligations, and there are times when we will have more tasks and concerns than other times. But apparently, as busy as we may see the modern world to be, research is suggesting that we actually have more time for leisure than ever before. If you have a look at the “Our World in Data” website and search for working hours, you will see that the number of work hours has not increased dramatically in the last few decades, and the amount of leisure time we have has actually increased upwards of 30% since the 1950s.

So, do you feel like you have increased leisure time? Probably not. Why, when we actually have more leisure time than ever before, are we busier than ever?

Maybe it’s because we feel that way. Maybe it’s less about how much time we have and more about how we see it. In other words, we are so busy not because we have less time, but because of how we have come to perceive being busy. Has it become a status symbol to be busy, as this makes us feel important or valued? Our value should not be found in being busy and feeling useful, but rather from knowing we are loved by God in Christ Jesus and then freed to love and be ‘busy’ serving others.

In the story of Mary and Martha, Martha is busy while Mary is using her time to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen. In our day and age of having lots of leisure time, we certainly have time to do the same and listen to Jesus. We might wonder why it seemed Jesus chided Martha, who was earnest about showing hospitality. Martha had received Jesus and His disciples into her home and was busy with all the details houseguests require.

Jesus commended Mary and said, "But only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Martha didn't take the opportunity to be nourished by listening to Jesus' words when He was with her. She was busy with the everyday routine of her physical world. She was tending to the details but, unfortunately, missing the bigger picture -- the words of life Jesus was speaking.

How often do we do the same? Do we let our preoccupation with everything get in the way of listening to Jesus speak the words of life? When it comes to choosing what is better, may we find ourselves sitting with Mary and clinging to Jesus' every word.

God bless,

Pastor Adam
College Pastor

We held a special ANZAC Day chapel each for Secondary school and Primary school in the first week of the term. This was the first time we have had the Primary school hold its own ANZAC Day chapel, as prior to COVID restrictions we have combined for a whole-school chapel. The Primary school captains represented the College well, performing all duties on the day such as the flag-raising and wreath-laying ceremonies with respect and honour, as did our College Captains in Secondary school.

Chapel for Secondary school is regularly on Wednesday mornings at 8:15 am and for Primary school at 2:10 pm on Friday afternoon. Students have been very keen lately to volunteer for some of the unusual demonstrations used for teaching a Bible lesson in chapel, which is pleasing to see.

Parents and carers are welcome to join us for chapel.

Families of the College are invited to join members of Trinity Lutheran Church for worship on Sundays. Service times at the church, on Severin Street in Manunda, are 8:00 am and 10:00 am each Sunday. Special services are advertised on the parish website: www.cairnslutheran.org.au

Trinity Lutheran Church is celebrating 60 years as a congregation and 30 years of the current church building with a service on Sunday 29^th May at 9 am.

Church services at the College have resumed, and all members of the Peace community are welcome to join us at these services which are advertised through the school app and social media.

Assessment preparation and planning

In order to effectively manage workload and the pacing of assessment preparation, it is important for students to be organised. I would like to encourage parents to continue to monitor the Peace Parent Portal to support their son or daughter in managing these expectations. The Student Cafe has proven to be an invaluable tool for communicating rapidly with students. Parents can support their children by reminding them to utilise this valuable resource as well as discussing their preparation and planning with them.

Reports

Semester reports will be published at the end of the term and parents and students will have the opportunity to reflect on how well they have risen to the challenge of their senior studies this year. We look forward to the opportunity, next term, to discuss how your son or daughter’s senior studies are going and perhaps even come up with strategies to further improve academic outcomes.

Peter Cummings
Director of Secondary

After our excellent ATAR results in 2020 and 2021, we have been evaluating our subject reports to further refine and improve the teaching and learning in preparation for this year’s senior students.

External examination performance was excellent and indicated that students were well prepared for the challenge of external QCAA examinations.

Our ATAR confirmation reports, where staff provisional marking is quality assured independently by QCAA officers, is indicating a very good alignment, which is a reflection on the dedication and professionalism of our teachers.

Year 12 pastoral care staff will be concentrating on careers and post-school education this term, with a number of speakers coming into the college and a range of activities organised for Careers Week. Year 11 and 12 students are already successfully completing both formative and summative ATAR assessments in the dedicated examination space of the Boarders Recreation Centre.

Year 11 students have been working hard to step up to the expectations of senior school and the rigour of the new syllabus requirements. Assessment practice is going well and providing valuable feedback through Student Café and Parent Portal, to students, parents and teachers, on which areas require extra attention.

As is typical at the beginning of their senior studies, one or two students have struggled to manage the workload and pacing of assessment preparation. It is important to be organised with assessment timetables and get started early.

As these students are fast approaching the completion of a semester in their chosen subjects, now is the time they need to be considering adjustments in their approach to study and possibly alternative subjects to enhance their grades. QCE credits are based on completed units and credits are earned through achievement of a C or above (SA) in the subject. Students should discuss this with their parents, our Careers Officer and Year Level Coordinators to ensure they are following an appropriate study pathway.

In Week 1 of Term 2, the senior Geography classes carried out a field trip to the Kuranda HQ Pine Plantation to learn about how pine plantations interact with natural forests.

Our students ventured into the Kuranda forests, pounding tubes into the ground to collect soil data, and stretching out transect lines to assess biodiversity. The students were lucky enough to observe wild horses, as well as the different types of weeds, and learnt first-hand about invasive species and soil erosion. It was a great day, filled with rain, mud, some singing on the bus and a lot of learning!

Penny Deamer
Secondary School Geography Teacher

In Week 3 of Term 4, Year 9 students went on their annual camp to Camp Paterson at Mareeba. They stayed in dormitory-style semi-permanent tents and had a fabulous time. Some of the activities included a water-wipeout obstacle course, rogaining, shelter building, group challenges, trivia contests and night spotting. The food was amazing and everyone had more than enough to eat – some people even went back for thirds and fourths!

Thank you to the Camp Paterson staff, Mr Atkins, Mrs Brooker, Mrs Hill, Mr Fernandez, Miss Arlene and Miss Cassidy for helping to make this such a wonderful experience for the students.

The Year 7 crew inaugurated Kurcow as our new school camp spot this year. Kurcow is 1500 acres of a lush rainforest at Kuranda, and the Year 7s spent two nights in tents, waking up to the sounds of cattle mooing and horses braying nearby.

We had wonderful staff come and support our students as they rode horses, and ATVs paddled around the dam and played in the rainforest. It was beautiful to see the students take a positive approach to the team-building activities and challenges set for them on camp. I was so pleased with their behaviour and a great time was had by all.

Kelly Dare
Head of House - Green Eagles

JCU - Science & Engineering Challenge

Several of our Year 10 students recently attended the Science & Engineering Challenge this month at JCU. The event was organised by the University of Newcastle and offered teams of students the chance to win points by undertaking challenges that required teamwork and critical thinking skills to design solutions to engineering problems.

Our students really enjoyed the opportunity to visit the university campus and take on new challenges and experiences beyond the classroom.

UQ Science Ambassador

This term we had a visit from Adam Hines from the University of Queensland, a Science Ambassador working for the Wonder of Science initiative. Adam talked to our Year 10 students and our Year 12 biologists about following a STEM pathway and his PhD research in neuroscience.

Adam shared his experiences of school, university, changing pathways and eventually finding a passion for neuroscience and becoming an expert in his field.

Adam's presentation was inspirational and informative and it was made possible through the funding of the Business Liaison Association and the Wonder of Science, UQ.

Year 11 Biology

Our Year 11 Biology students have started their unit on multicellular organisms. The students had to dig into their memory bank to remember what they had learnt over the past few years and then draw all the human body systems and organs... and they did extremely well!

The very first issue of our brand new, quarterly, student-driven 'zine', 'The Squawk' has taken flight with its first issue distributed in the last term.

With limited copies strategically placed throughout the College, students were clamouring to get their hands on the inaugural edition. But we believe that 'sharing is caring' so we promote the sharing of the zine so everyone can enjoy this exciting new introduction.

Thank you to all student and staff contributors, and to the Squawk Editorial Squad for their input.

Brodie O'Mara and Louise Stout
Squawkers-In-Chief

Year 12 students have continued to support Rosies – Friends on the Street every four weeks through the School Outreach Program. We are grateful to our students, who willingly give up time to serve others in this way. It is humbling to see our College leaders take their learning into the world as active, compassionate citizens. Learning about homelessness is directly linked to Social Justice and Meaning and Purpose modules in Religion and Ethics.

How You Can Help

If you are able to help, donations of items are always graciously received at any time. The volunteer teams at Rosies are very grateful to the College community for your support. Donated items can be dropped off at the College Administration for Rosies, or your child is welcome to deliver them directly to either Mrs Eime or Pastor Adam.

Activities

Term 2 has been extremely busy in classrooms. There have been lots of exciting activities happening around campus. Many of them have been captured by our social media team, however, here are some snapshots of particularly memorable events. Enjoy!

Year 2

Year 2 students have been reading with their Year 10 buddies each odd Friday of the term. This is a partnership with Mrs Connelly’s Year 10 Essential English class to help build confidence in reading.

Our Year 2 students have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and look forward to reading with their new friends every second week.

Year 3

The students in Year 3 have been working on classifying creatures. They worked in groups to sift through the soil, looking for creatures to identify and classify.

Year 5

Year 5 had a visit from Chef Maggie as part of their PBL unit on Food Culture.

Here is what some of our students wrote about Chef Maggie's visit...

During our term of “Food, glorious food!” Year 5 was lucky to have our own Master Chef Experience. Chef Maggie was assisted by Fiona and Nadia. They were a great help to Maggie. Maggie taught us how to prepare and make Chicken Katsu. She made rice and salad to finish the main meal. The first thing that we learned was how to cook the rice. Maggie then explained, “The Butterfly Process” of preparing chicken. This process is to even up the chicken ready for cooking.

Maggie taught us how to crumb the chicken using the one hand for the ‘dry’ and one hand for the ‘wet’ process. We then watched Maggie prepare the salad. A surprising ingredient in the salad dressing was kiwi fruit! It was delicious.

Once the cooking was finished we sat outside together so we could enjoy our lovely meal. To top off our cooking experience we were treated to strawberries and bananas dipped in chocolate. It was the best!

Overall, Year 5 rates their experience 10 out of 10!

- Written by, Abi, Vida and Vaughn

According to our students, the food was delicious! If interested, Year 5 student, Yuki, has kindly written the procedure down for you to try at home!

On Friday, the 13^th of May, we had a master chef visitor. Her name is Maggie and she works at a restaurant called 'The Backyard' in the Shangri-La Hotel. Maggie showed us how to make Chicken Katsu (Chicken Schnitzels). She explained the importance of washing hands while cooking.

Step 1: Is to cut out the fat and blood from the chicken, this is called the ‘Butterfly Process’. Chicken breast is the best for chicken katsu because it is soft and tender.

Step 2: Is to prepare the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Then, cover the chicken with flour, then dip it into the bread crumbs. Cover the chicken with egg and place the chicken into a tray.

Step 3: Prepare the pan with vegetable oil and place the chicken into the frying pan. Next, after all the chicken is placed into the frying pan, reduce the heat to medium. When the bottom is brown, flip it over with tongs. Once the other side is brown, place them on a plate and serve.

Uniforms

Just a reminder as we come into some colder weather that students are wearing the correct jumper. Please refer to https://www.uniformlink.com.au/product/plc-jumper/ for specific expectations.

Upcoming Events

Assembly and Chapel Focus

With COVID restrictions having eased in schools across Queensland, we would like to formally invite parents to join our weekly assembly and chapels. Assembly takes place on Tuesday morning from 8:30 am - 8:50 am. The Primary chapel is on Friday afternoon from 2:10 pm - 2:30 pm.

We are incredibly proud of our Year 3 and 4 students and their positive participation in NAPLAN this year. The students completed four assessments over the course of a two-week period. This is the first year that all tests were conducted on computers (except for the Year 3 writing assessment). The students gave their best and were rewarded with a pizza party to celebrate their resilience and success.

A big thank you to Ms Laura Potts for organising the test sessions and overseeing the whole affair throughout Years 3, 5, 7 and 9; and our IT team, Alex Leggerini and Eden Thornbury-Hemming who ensured the technology ran smoothly. Thank you also to all the staff who supported NAPLAN by supervising exams and supporting students. It was a wonderful College-community effort this year!

We are very excited to welcome Mrs Kyoko Nygata-Black to Peace as our new Primary school Japanese teacher. Mrs Nagata-Black has had several years’ experience teaching in Australian schools before returning to her homeland of Japan. She has since then, relocated to Cairns and is eager to share her love of the Japanese language and culture with our students.

We welcome Mrs Nagata-Black to our Peace Community!

We welcome all our College parents, caregivers, grandparents and friends to join us at our weekly Primary school assembly and get an update on what is happening in the primary years.

If you like fresh barista coffee, tea or chai, arrive a little earlier and enjoy a hot cafe beverage at Cafe Garna - $3 for a large and $2 for a regular size.

• WHEN: Every Tuesday during term time (excluding public holidays)
• TIME: Cafe Garna is open from 7:45 am - 8:20 am and Assembly commences at 8:20 am

We look forward to seeing you!

Early Childhood Teachers at Peace Lutheran Kindergarten develop educational programs that focus on play-based learning. Learning through play can help children learn about themselves, aid in social, emotional, and physical development and gives children the opportunity to develop the skills they require for school.

Our programs are based on children’s interests to engage in experiences where they can extend their learning. We encourage collaboration and small group play to extend social skills; we use questioning and investigations to increase thinking skills, and through play, we extend on literacy and numeracy learning. Arts and crafts encourage creativity and confidence, and role-play is essential for social and language development, it also allows children to imagine and dream.

This year's Mother's Day theme at the Kindergarten was Garden Party.

The Kindy children enjoyed having their mums join us for a special Mother’s Day Garden Party. It was full of love, laughter and food! The conversations flowed as we enjoyed some beautiful weather and a great backdrop. We love having our families visit their children at Kindy.

Family culture and beliefs are respected at Peace Kindy as we invite everyone’s input into our Program and Philosophy.

I recently came across The School of Wellbeing Podcasts from Open Minds Education. The host and creator, Meg Durham, has worked in education as a teacher for many years and is currently a well-being educator, speaker and coach. Her conversations with experts in their field cover a range of well-being issues, including those that are pertinent to our young people.

Whether you’re a podcast devotee or someone who has never tried them before, I encourage you to explore Meg’s offerings at The School of Wellbeing with Meg Durham (mykajabi.com).

While not all of her conversations are related directly to young people, the website gives great summaries to help you select ones that may be meaningful to you.

My favourite episodes relating to our young people so far are:

• Digital Dilemmas – Yasmin London
• When Love Hurts – Dannielle Miller
• Raising Adults – Julie Lythcott-Haims
• Understanding the Brain – Dr Sarah McKay
• Digital Distractions – Dr Kristy Goodwin

The latest conversation between Meg and Yasmin London, “Digital Dilemmas”, and an earlier one with Dr Kristy Goodwin, “Digital Distractions”, both explore the digital realm and its impact on young people and families, both positive and negative.

What I loved about both podcasts is they recognise some of the dangers and challenges of devices, while also acknowledging the benefits – technology is here to stay so we need to educate our young people about responsible use. Yasmin London and Dr Kristy Goodwin both provide actions and strategies to help foster responsible use and to assist parents, caregivers and teachers to address and discuss some of the critical issues they may come across in this digital space.

While pastoral staff continue to have ongoing conversations with students around the use of mobile technology, social media and their online presence, we also delve deeper into age-appropriate content during Pastoral Care lessons, particularly in Years 6, 8, 9 and 11.

Some valuable websites relating to online safety include:

• https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents
• https://ysafe.com.au – specifically the blog posts
• Latest Blog Posts from Ysafe:
• Instagram Reels: What Parents Should Know (ysafe.com.au)
• Anonymous Q&A Apps (ysafe.com.au)

Kirsten Anderson
Director of Wellbeing

We have just passed the midway point in term and are getting ever closer to the end of Semester 1 and the midway point of the year. At this time, especially as we head towards exams and assessment deadlines, I’d like to remind our students and families of the importance of sleep and the benefits it has on our wellbeing. The adolescent years are a time when the brain and body are undergoing great changes and stages of development, therefore sleep is fundamental for this growth to occur.

The Australian Department of Health recommends:

• Between 9 & 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep for young people aged 6-13 years
• Between 8 & 10 hours for young people aged 14-17 years
• Between 7 & 9 hours for young adults aged 18-25 years

Source: https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2020.540052

This week, I encourage you to examine and reflect on your “sleep health and hygiene” as a family. What is working well? What could be improved? Other questions you could ask include:

• What is preventing you from meeting the recommended hours?
• Do you have a regular bedtime and bedtime routine?

For more information on sleep and wellbeing, please see the following websites:

https://raisingchildren.net.au/teens/healthy-lifestyle/sleep/sleep-teens

https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/facts-about-sleep-for-parents-and-school-staff.html

https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/-/media/ResourceCentre/PublicationsandResources/Mental-health/Summary-sleep-and-wellbeing-summary-report.pdf

Next semester, we will be launching a new data-driven wellbeing platform called Komodo in order to help us better understand, analyse and track the well-being needs of our students in Secondary school.

Komodo is a user-friendly platform that gives students a voice and allows them to track their own well-being with the support of Home Group Teachers, Pastoral Care Teachers and their Heads of House. The Pastoral Care and Wellbeing Teams will be working together to use this data to inform our day to day interactions with students as well as build preventative programs and proactive approaches to student wellbeing. Watch this space!

Term 3, Week 2

Year 10 Camp – 19^th – 22^nd July 2022 (Tinaroo)

Term 3, Week 3

Year 11 Camp – 27^th – 29^th July 2022 (Echo Creek)

Earlier this month, I attended a Curriculum Leaders Workshop organised and led by Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ). ISQ supports the College in a range of ways including opportunities to apply for funded projects, professional development for teachers, networking with schools across the state and compliance with all aspects of teaching and learning.

The most recent event provided direction for planning the implementation of Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum. The new curriculum has been ratified, but a timeline for implementation has not been set. When the implementation timeline has been set, teachers will be given time and support to learn about and plan for the new curriculum.

Before the implementation of the new curriculum, the writers of the Australian Curriculum have asked schools to take part in setting up sample work for teachers across the country. Peace has been asked to join this project. Creating work samples based on the new curriculum, with and for the curriculum writers, is a rare professional development opportunity. This is an excellent opportunity for our school to showcase the professional knowledge and skill of our teachers.

I would like to acknowledge and thank all of our teachers for their hard work and professionalism.

Clare MacDermott
Director of Teaching & Learning

It has been another very busy term in Sport at Peace Lutheran College, with our Cross Country Carnival, CISSA competition and FNQ Schools Volleyball Cup all taking place.

Athletics Carnival

The Secondary Athletics Carnival will take place on Tuesday the 7^th of June at Barlow Park. More information will be distributed later this week.

CISSA

It is fair to say that most of our CISSA teams have been really competitive this season so far, with a few in with a good chance of progressing deep into the finals. Our last regular season fixture is a catch-up round against Cairns State High School. Finals take place in Week 7, with the top four teams playing off and the bottom four teams playing off. The winners of the semi-finals will then progress to the Grand Finals, which will occur in Week 8. Good luck to all teams.

TCN

Several students have represented TCN this term in Soccer, Cross Country and Basketball. Congratulations to all the students who have either trialled for TCN or were selected for TCN.

Thank you to all of the students for their effort and hard work in sports so far this term. I am really looking forward to a successful second half of Term 2. If, at any time you have any questions regarding sports at Peace Lutheran College, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours in sport,

Alex Collins
Secondary School Sports Coordinator

Our inter-house Cross Country Carnival was held on Wednesday the 20^th of April. Luckily, the rain held off, which allowed for a fantastic and fun-filled, yet competitive afternoon. The feedback I received from teachers was that all of the students participated and were in high spirits for the duration of the carnival.

Congratulations to our age champions:

Congratulations to Blue Dolphins, who were the winning House.

Cross Country at Peace

The Primary school Cross Country Carnival took place on Monday the 28^th of March, in almost perfect weather conditions. The children were all very excited to take part, and every single runner completed the course, earning valuable contribution points for their House.

As an added bonus, we were delighted that we were able to have parents on site this year to greet the runners as they crossed the finish line.

Cross Country Further Afield

The TCN Cross Country was recently held at St Andrew's Catholic College for runners from 10 years of age, all the way through to the open ages. Despite some passing drizzle, all of our runners had a great morning. With the help of our Year 7 runners, PLC managed to finish 5^th in the 10-12Y category. I was really pleased with this result and it gives us something to build upon for next year.

Special mention to Sebastian who finished 4^th in the U10 Boys, Luanna who finished 8^th in the U10 Girls and Lachlan who finished 10^th in the U12 boys.

Congratulations to all those who took part and thank you for your efforts.

The Peninsula Cross Country Trials were held at Yungaburra on Friday the 20th of May. In true cross country fashion; the ground was damp, there were spots of rain and every set of running shoes found themselves covered in mud.

Saffryn finished 7^th in the U12 girl's race and is the first reserve for the Peninsula Team. Sebastian had a great day - he told me that he was covered in mud and nearly slipped into a creek. Sounds perfect!

Ben Brown
Primary School Sports Coordinator

Our Primary school Athletics Carnival will be held on Thursday the 16th of June. After meeting with their class teachers and completing morning registration, all students will head down to our school oval to begin the day from 8:30 am.

The format of the day will be similar to previous years. However, there are some changes that have been implemented for the day. The main points to note are:

• We would like to welcome all parents and caregivers to join us for the day. I will ask for all our marquees to be set up so there should be lots of shade for adults and children for the day.
• After initially starting together, the Preps and Year 1 students will have their circuit of events on the soccer fields and students in Years 2 - 6 will have their events on the rugby field.
• There will be a mix of competitive (recorded events) and fun events where the students can race and have fun with their friends, and, parents or caregivers if time allows.
• We hope that the Preps and Year 1 students will be finished their events by 12:00 pm. I have scheduled their lunch break between 12:00 pm and 12:30 pm.
• The younger students are able to go home after they finish their events or if they have older siblings, they can stay and cheer them on.
• Years 2 - 6 will finish their events at 1:30 pm and then have lunch. During this time, we will finalise the scoring and begin the presentations at 1:50 pm. We hope to be finished at 2:15 pm.

Students are encouraged to wear their House colours proudly. If they have a hat, socks, ribbons or other items of their House colour (that is appropriate for school) they should proudly wear these. The more red, gold, green and blue on the day, the better!

Ben Brown
Primary School Sports Coordinator

I am delighted to announce that the Jamie Gosling Football Academy will be returning in Term 3 to run a football (soccer) program. Starting in Week 2 on Wednesday the 20th of July, the program will run for eight weeks after school on our oval from 2:50 pm – 3:50 pm.

Reading has commenced for the Premier’s Reading Challenge. Year 2 won the inter-class challenge in 2021, and students are already handing in their completed Reading Record Forms.

To complete the challenge, students are required to:

• Prep to Year 2 – Read or experience 20 books
• Year 3-4 – Read 20 books
• Year 5-9 – Read 15 books

The reading concludes on Friday the 26^th of August during Book Week. Reading Record Forms are available at the Learning Centre.

Our Primary school students enjoyed reading "Family Tree" by Josh Pike, the 2022 National Simultaneous Storytime picture book. All across the nation, schools stopped at 11 am on Wednesday the 25^th of May to read this delightful picture book.

Please join me in wishing our Year 5/6 and 7/8 Readers Cup Teams all the best as they compete in this year's regional competition in June. Our Teams have been busy reading their assigned books and meeting each week to quiz each other. The Year 9/10 Team will compete later in the year.

• Year 5/6 Readers Cup team - Kara, Lilly, Rachel and Rosie - will compete on Thursday the 9th of June at St Andrew's Catholic College
• Year 7/8 Readers Cup team - Siya, Rose, Reever and Lara - will compete on Wednesday the 8^th of June at Smithfield State School
• Year 9/10 Readers Cup team - Pluto, Honey, Elizabeth and Maggie - will complete on Wednesday the 3^rd of August at Smithfield State School

Thank you again to the Peace community for purchasing books, posters and trinkets from our Easter Book Fair. The Learning Centre holds two Book Fairs per year, and they are major fundraisers. Students helped to raise $950 toward purchasing resources for the Learning Centre.

At Peace Lutheran OSHC this term we have been exploring and participating in many new and fun projects. Children have been exceeding goals and growing their individual skills.

We have listened to the children’s voices regarding their interests and needs and we continue to support them. This term we have evolved and the activities have been well received, the following activities that have made an impact and are continuing are:

Loose Parts Play

The loose parts play theory is based on the idea that when children are presented with a collection of small objects (i.e. loose parts), they have more opportunities for creativity and engagement as they rearrange, redesign and tinker with the parts, creating patterns and new objects as they go.

Outcomes of Loose Parts Play include:

• Developing a sense of independence as children have the freedom to explore different materials autonomously.
• Encouraging language development as children communicate their ideas and knowledge with their peers, educators, parents and carers.
• Building creative thinking, problem-solving, curiosity and abstract thinking skills as children explore the materials and discover new ways of playing with them.
• Enhancing fine motor skills as children pick up, hold and manipulate materials in multiple ways.
• Facilitating collaboration, sharing and belonging as children interact with others around them engaged in the play.
• Increasing physical play and activity along with gross motor skills as children move and transfer their creations and use them in further imaginative play.

Engineering with marble tracks

In addition to creatively exploring the different arrangements of the pieces of the run, your child will be able to develop basic engineering skills as they explore how the pieces fit together. They'll learn more about cause and effect, explore how to keep their piece balanced and learn how to improve their structures so the marble will successfully reach the end of each track. Not only that, they'll enhance their understanding of how gravity and inertia work together to help move or stop the marble, and they'll have a blast doing it.

Sporting activities

This Term we have been focusing on group sporting games, in particular OZ Tag. This has been an awesome game to support children’s physical development, and teamwork skills and boost confidence.

We are looking forward to engaging in our upcoming Reconciliation and NAIDOC programmed activities. Keep an eye out for what we have installed these holidays!

Looking at enrolling your children into OSHC?

Please email Mallory at peace.oshccairns@qlecs.org.au.

Our Peace Community Events Group was formed in response to our school community seeking a casual and social approach to our fundraising and event support.

For parents and friends of our school community who want to be a part of something fun, who like to be social, and who are keen to support our wonderful students and our great school, this group is for you!

The group meets in a relaxed atmosphere on a monthly basis during term time to plan key College events. We were encouraged by the support shown at our very first meeting this term.

We invite you to join us at our next meeting on Tuesday the 14th of June.

Events we are currently planning for are:

If any of these interest you, if you would like to get out and be social and support some fun for our children and the school at the same time, then we look forward to seeing you at our next meeting!

If you like fresh barista coffee, tea or chai, we invite you to pop into Cafe Garna on Tuesday mornings and enjoy a hot cafe beverage - $3 for a large and $2 for a regular size - dine-in or takeaway.

• WHEN: Every Tuesday during term time (excluding public holidays)
• TIME: From 7:45 am - 8:20 am

We look forward to serving you!

Peace Lutheran College Council is seeking expressions of interest from parents with an Accounting or Finance background to join our Finance Committee.

Our Finance Committee meets 10 times per year for 1.5 hours maximum, per meeting.

The role of this committee is to monitor financial performance and sustainability. To analyse the financial viability of all proposed (major) building and expansion projects. To then relay a summary of its discussions to the College Council, along with recommendations. The Finance Committee has oversight of:

• Annual budget
• Audited financial statements
• Monthly financial accounts and balance sheet cash flow position
• Debtors
• Loans
• Minor capital works

The Committee may make other appropriate financial reports to College Council with recommended action.

For further information please contact Mr Darren Morrissy Business Manager via email at bm@plc.qld.edu.au.

Year 12 students have continued to support Rosies – Friends on the Street every four weeks through the School Outreach Program. We are grateful to our students, who willingly give up time to serve others in this way. It is humbling to see our College leaders take their learning into the world as active, compassionate citizens. Learning about homelessness is directly linked to Social Justice and Meaning and Purpose modules in Religion and Ethics.

How You Can Help

If you are able to help, donations of items are always graciously received at any time. The volunteer teams at Rosies are very grateful to the College community for your support. Donated items can be dropped off at the College Administration for Rosies, or your child is welcome to deliver them directly to either Mrs Eime or Pastor Adam.

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.

Christian Life Week Camp - Central Queensland (Grades 7-12)

26 – 30 September Boyne Island Environmental Education Centre

CLW (Christian Life Week) Camp is a popular five-day live-in camp experience filled with fun, friends, God, worship, challenges, activities, and growth. CLW is a chance for teenagers to escape every day, have a stack of good clean fun and discover more about what it means to be a Christian

Junior Springboard (Grades 3-6)

21 - 23 September Luther Heights Youth Camp, Coolum

The perfect taster for holiday camping! This jam-packed 3-day camp offers young campers a way to sample the fun, challenge, and adventure of holiday camps at our beautiful Luther Heights Youth Camp these spring holidays. Climb, launch and fly your way through our outdoor high-adventure activities during the day, relax at the beach in the afternoon, and chill out with friends in the evening. Campers will be welcomed, with lots of activities planned to help campers get to know each other and the leaders and be introduced to some spiritual practices such as devotions and worship time.

Replenish Women’s Retreat

14 – 16 October Luther Heights Youth Camp, Coolum

Sometimes you need to take a moment...or a weekend...to stop, unwind, and step away from the chaos that is your daily routine. This October, our Replenish retreat is just for you ... no cooking, no cleaning, no pressure. This retreat is just for women over 18 years of age, up to any age. Whoever you are, and wherever you’re from, it's a chance to gently build community, have a weekend away with the girls, or take two days entirely to yourself with absolutely no distractions.

Young Adults Discipleship Retreat (YADR)

Expressions of interest must be in by July 18th

26 November – 5 December QCCC Brookfield

Q's Young Adult Discipleship Retreat (YADR) is a 10-day training and personal development camp that will have a huge impact on young adults from all over QLD. Last year one participant said, “it was the most personally growing, eye-opening and perspective-changing experience I have ever been to”. YADR aims to equip young adults to be bolder followers of Jesus and to live his mission in their community.

For more information or to book, visit Lutheran Youth of Queensland (lyq.org.au)

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.