国产精品

Dear Parents, Carers and Friends,

We鈥檝e come to the end of another school year. It has passed incredibly fast and now, with Christmas only one month away, the signs of the festive season are appearing everywhere.

In the last fortnight, we have had several ceremonies of various types, each one acknowledging and celebrating the wonderful work of students and staff throughout the year. Thank you for joining us for some, or many, of these events. This is always a joyful time, albeit also quite stressful, and a wonderful way to finish the year.

We have just entered the advent season. Advent marks the beginning of the church calendar and is a time of preparation and anticipation for the coming of Christ. In the Lutheran church, there are many traditions observed during advent that help Christians to both prepare for and anticipate His coming. Practices associated with Advent include keeping an advent calendar, lighting advent candles, praying an advent daily devotional, as well as other ways of preparing for Christmas.

In the lead-up to Christmas, it is easy to get drawn into the frantic gift shopping and stress to get everything right for the festive season. I encourage you to stop and consider: What does Christmas mean to you? Perhaps spending time with family and friends? Good food and too much of it? Christmas carols, cards, and decorations? Hectic shopping and nicely wrapped presents? All these things are part of a typical Australian Christmas. I hope you will find opportunities this Christmas to pause and reflect on the things that are ultimately important to you. Christmas is meant to celebrate peace and joy. Amidst the busyness of shopping, presents, parties and food, remember that the Prince of 国产精品 came to spread peace and joy.

Christmas blessings to each one of you. May you enjoy a peaceful, rejuvenating, and joyful Christmas season.

Kind regards,

Elisabeth Fenske
College Principal

It has been a pleasure to celebrate significant events that have brought our whole community together. These events recognise who our students are and who they are becoming.

In particular, the Secondary Presentation Night, Graduation Chapel, and Year 12 Formal were key events where we saw the community join together to celebrate the strong partnership between families and the College. I have enjoyed greeting many proud family members and friends of students over the past few weeks, and it has been a delight to celebrate our students' significant milestones and achievements.

In addition to farewelling our graduating cohort, of which I am incredibly proud, I have been involved with enrolment interviews and have met some outstanding candidates for our College.

As we close 2022, I wish all students and families a blessed Christmas. I look forward to the new year as we welcome Mr Shane Jurecky as the College Principal and his installation service on Monday, 23^rd January.

I want to thank Mrs Elisabeth Fenske for her dedication and service as College Principal of 国产精品. It was lovely to see the students and staff celebrate and recognise Mrs Fenske's service to the College with a "secret" assembly surprise that she did not know about! This event brought students and staff from P 鈥� 12 together in a memorable celebration of music and dancing.

I would also like to thank the staff team for their commitment to finishing the year well. I have seen staff encourage each other and lift each other's spirits during some challenging times, and I am grateful to work with an amazing and dedicated staff team who care for each other.

Heavenly Father,

Please be with our students, staff and families of the College as we begin the summer break. Be with those students who are travelling home from Boarding, and students who travel to visit extended families. We ask you to bless each person and keep them safe during the break.

Thank you for the blessings of this year. We are grateful for the many gifts and talents you give to each person to use in service to each other.

As we celebrate Christmas, please remind us to take time and notice the baby in the manger, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Thank you for providing us with this indescribable gift.

Amen

Kind regards,

Juanita Eime
Acting Director of Secondary

Congratulations to all Year 12 students, each of you has strived hard during the year to reach personal goals, and I am proud of you. I am grateful to Mr O鈥橫ara as a Pastoral Care Teacher and to the Heads of House for supporting and helping to organise the graduation events. The tributes from staff were a fitting way to send off our students, showing the strength of relationships that graduates of 国产精品 develop with their peers and staff. We wish you well in your future chosen vocations.

Graduation Chapel

One final way the Year 12s gave back to the College was to spend time with students in Primary School. Some Year 12s have reported having fun dressing up and revisiting fond memories of their younger years at 国产精品.

A fun and informal breakfast was held for our Year 12 students before the commencement of their external exams, providing the perfect opportunity for teachers and staff to join with them in a relaxed atmosphere to wish them all the very best.

We were honoured to have the news team from 7News Cairns attend our Year 12 Graduation Chapel to cover this important occasion for our graduating students.

Year 7 Experience Day

We have some fantastic new students joining the College as Year 7 students in 2023! At the recent Year 7 Experience Day, we provided sessions that gave students a brief taste of Visual Art, Music, Drama, STEM, Hospitality, and a treasure hunt, allowing them to orient themselves around the College.

Year 11 student ambassadors supported the event by allowing new students to ask them questions, and it was great to meet so many parents at the Meet & Greet in the afternoon. I am grateful to Mrs Kelly Dare, who organised the activities for the day.

On Friday, 20^th January, we will welcome our new Year 7 students back to campus and provide a range of supportive ways to help them adjust to their first year in Secondary School. It is clear to see the strength of being a K 鈥� 12 College, as we already know many of our incoming students well.

We hope you had a great day visiting us for a taste of Year 7, and we look forward to greeting you again in January!

Our Year 8 students had the opportunity to experience what a university has to offer by taking part in the JCU Year 8 UniX event this term. Students were introduced to career-taster experiences across a range of faculties including engineering, medicine, nursing, education, business, law and the creative arts. Fun was had to construct a bridge and successfully drop an egg from the first floor.

Our exceptional students were ambassadors for the College at the recent Wonder of Science Conference held in Brisbane. I am grateful to Claudia Johnson and Harry Venter for supporting the students in preparing and participating in this event. The trip to Brisbane to compete against 53 other schools was an adventure that our students easily took in their stride, as they showed their Scientific learning and excellent communication skills.

Our Year 7 team placed third and our Year 9 team placed first in the State! Congratulations to all of you on this very exciting achievement.

The end of the year is upon us! Teachers and students have been incredibly busy making the most of the time they have left together.

Term 4 is always a bittersweet moment for staff. The students have made remarkable progress, friendships have been forged and everything is running smoothly. Teachers are making the most of students鈥� progress by planning learning experiences that apply that knowledge as much as they are able, knowing that their time together is short.

It is almost time to let go and start anew.

Here are a few snippets highlighting what our students have been up to in our last few weeks at school.

Year 1 鈥� PBL: Science & Design Technology

This term, Year 1 has been investigating forces and motion. The students had a great time conducting experiments to identify which items float and which items sink. They recognised that most of the items that floated had air trapped in them, while most items that sunk were very solid and/or hard (dense).

The students were set a challenge and needed to work collaboratively to find a solution.

The Problem

The Kuranda Cookie Company transports biscuits down the Barron River from their factory in Kuranda to the distribution centre in Stratford. Since the journey is quite a long way it is important to ship as many biscuits as possible on each trip. Their largest barge was damaged in recent floods and they need to replace it with another watercraft that will support the weight of thousands of boxes of biscuits.

The Challenge

The boss of The Kuranda Cookie Company contacted Year 1 students to ask them to design a model of a boat that will support enough weight to transport the biscuits.

The children were engaged in the task and thoroughly enjoyed designing, creating and testing their watercraft.

Students added on to these skills with their final design task of designing and creating a balloon racer. First, we learned about the science involved in making our balloon racers move. Then we designed and created. Finally 鈥� race day!!!!

Year 4 - Excursion to Cairns Aquarium

For our end-of-year surprise, the Year 4 class adventured to the Cairns Aquarium on the 23rd of November. They had two wonderful experts who guided the students throughout the sections of the aquarium. The education program was focused on the circle of life in the Great Barrier Reef and the mangroves around tropical FNQ. The students had an amazing time and had many great facts to share by the end of the tour. They searched for lizards, crawled under turtles and gently touched a starfish. Their favourite creatures were the crocodiles, the snakes and, of course, the sharks! The aquarium is a wonderful place to spend some time if you need an activity to do over the school holidays.

Year 4 - MAF Came to Visit

"Mr Woodward from MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) came to the Year 4 classroom on Tuesday 8^th November to tell the students about Mission Aviation Fellowship. MAF helps people in remote places around the world where people need help with natural disasters, famine and helping sick or injured people. MAF also teaches people about Jesus. They use aviation to get to remote places, and they land on airstrips. They have over 130 aircraft all helping over 34 countries and 3000 communities." - Rebecca and Ahlia

Year 6 - Leadership Day at Holloways Beach Education Centre

Year 6 students participated in a program to enhance leadership skills to assist them in their journey into Secondary school. They worked together to support each other in taking on challenges outside of their comfort zone and conquering fears. Every single student was successful.

Activities offered can be grouped into the two main focus areas of sustainability and well-being.

Students learned that we need to manage our resources and demonstrate the behaviours and choices that ensure a sustainable future 鈥� 鈥渆nough for all, forever鈥�.

Students learned to understand and demonstrate the skills and processes needed to be effective team members and to develop personal well-being.

Year 6 Primary School Graduation

It was an enormous privilege to organise and present the awards for Primary School. Not only were so many students acknowledged for their hard work and achievements, but we also had the chance to farewell the Year 6 students finishing seven years of Primary school and starting their journey into Secondary.

We had a lovely morning tea together. Our Year 6 parents did a fabulous job of decorating, and our chef extraordinaire, Matt, made this delicious cake in recognition of all of our amazing students who have put in such hard work this year. Our House Captains were on hand for the cutting of the cake. Congratulations to all our Year 6 students.

And so, we come to the end of another school year. Time has flown and we are all looking forward to some rest and recovery with family.

Appropriately, it is also the Advent season. At this time every year, we prepare for our light and hope to enter the world at Christmas. May you all be richly blessed this holiday season as you enjoy the journey.

Thank you for a great year.

Christina Jacobsen and Laura Robinson
Directors of Primary

During Term 4, we welcomed our 2023 Prep students into our school via the Prep Transition Program. The children were introduced to their teachers, classrooms and classmates, while parents took part in a 5-week information program which covered subjects ranging from learning to read, and motor skills development, to how to use our School App and the Parent Portal. It was wonderful to welcome these families into our community.

Ms Hannah Trotter and Ms Julie Mercer presented an amazing instrumental showcase in Week 6, highlighting the Jazz Ensemble and the Concert Band. Many students performed solos or duets which displayed the skills they have developed over the past year.

Two show-stoppers were the performances by Smile and the 国产精品makers who are two of our most popular Pop Bands here at the school. These home-grown talents have developed under the tutelage of Mrs Jacqueline Moore.

A very big thank you to those staff who had a hand in pulling our Showcase Evening together. It was an inspirational night for all students and their families.

Our Christmas Concert was a lively affair with performances by each class demonstrating their musical talent. Mrs Stacey Watts organised and conducted the special day. Everyone enjoyed listening to the festive music and singing along.

We had several piano solos and special numbers performed by our Concert Band led by Ms Trotter and our Primary Choir led by Mrs Moore.

Thank you, ladies, for a monumental effort in building our Christmas cheer!

The Christmas concert was followed by our Primary School Fun Day.

Teachers prepared a special activity for each year level to participate in. Students rotated around to each class and had a blast dancing, crafting, eating, playing dodgeball and enjoying some rest and relaxation as they watched a Christmas movie. It provided a much-needed respite for students as well as teachers after the rigorous reporting season.

The last Monday of the term is named 鈥楤ump Up鈥� Day here at 国产精品. This is where students move into their new year level for the morning to get to know their teachers and experience a bit of what next year holds for them.

Several new students were able to join us for the day and experience their first taste of our 国产精品 community.

There were lots of smiles and nervous jitters early on as the students entered classes, which morphed into relief and excitement for the new year ahead as they exited their classes at break time.

What is peace?

国产精品 is the absence of trouble, tension, disaster, and surprise. 国产精品 is the presence of safety, security, contentment, and relief. When you are at peace, there鈥檚 nothing else you need. You鈥檇 like things to stay just as they are. You hope that nothing changes.

Unfortunately, earthly 鈥減eace鈥� will change and is always short-lived. Christmas meals bring some peace, but just hours later, you are hungry again. Happy relationships bring peace, but can you guarantee that even for one fleeting year, your solid relationship will never once face discord? Christmas presents bring a little peace, but the very same gadgets that cause a hearty, 鈥淭hanks!鈥� are soon broken or forgotten. And how many people ever get everything on their Christmas lists? And even if they did, would they have lasting peace?

For lasting Christmas peace, we look away from earthly things and look to the Good Shepherd, Jesus. The Bible tells us, 鈥淗e will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace鈥� (Micah 5:4,5). Jesus鈥� peace is not only for a time, is not isolated to one area, and cannot be overruled. In power and compassion, his greatness reaches everywhere, all the time, penetrating our hearts to the core.

Jesus himself is our peace. Not Christmas meals, relationships, or presents, but Jesus. It鈥檚 not just that he knows where to find peace or that he shows us the way to peace鈥攈e IS our peace! In Jesus, we stand confidently under God鈥檚 favour. In Jesus, we live with the comfort of God鈥檚 abiding presence and almighty power. We know exactly what our eternal future will be. Jesus alone provides eternal safety, security, contentment, and relief. In him, our peace will never change.

What is peace? Jesus is peace. When you have him, you have it all.

Dear Jesus, prevent me from looking to earthly avenues of peace and thinking they will last. Instead, turn me toward You, so that I might find true peace that lasts. Amen.

God bless,

Pastor Adam
College Pastor

Each year, 国产精品 supports a number of appeals and charitable organisations and we invite members of the College community to support these causes as they are able. This year we are again encouraging the support of the Salvation Army and Australian Lutheran World Service. Any assistance given to any of the appeals is greatly appreciated.

Salvation Army 鈥� Christmas Giving Tree

国产精品 is continuing the tradition of the Christmas Giving Tree and we thank everyone in our community for your kind and generous donations to this year's appeal.

Australian Lutheran World Service - Gifts of Grace

You are also encouraged to support Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS) through their 鈥淕ifts of Grace鈥� program. Catalogues are available from the front office and the catalogue can also be viewed, and donations made, online at alws.org.au/grace. There are many gifts, some under $10, that will make a lasting difference to families and communities overseas that the Lutheran Church are supporting through ALWS.

Trinity Lutheran Church in Cairns invites everyone to attend their Christmas services. Christmas Eve service will be at 6:00 pm Saturday 24^th December, and Christmas Day service will be at 8:00 am Sunday 25^th December.

The Rite Journey 2022 has 60 successful new graduates, whose hard work and commitment to self-improvement culminated last week at their Informal/Graduation.

The students all committed to identifying an area in their life that they wanted to improve, and took steps to improve it. Over the course of the year, the students focused on relationships with self, God, others and the world. Thank you to Mr Atkins, Mrs Hill and Mr McMahon - their leadership, wisdom and expertise and to our fabulous Year 9s who approached each challenge with an open heart and mind.

For those interested in reading more about The Rite Journey, you can follow '' on Facebook. This is full of parenting, uplifting and encouraging tidbits from the creator of The Rite Journey.

Kelly Dare
Head of House - Green Eagles

As we finish up the 2022 academic year, I would like to take time to publicly thank the team of professionals who work at 国产精品. They are committed to caring for, teaching and supporting the entire student body. The College has students from Kindergarten, Primary, Secondary and Boarding. This is a unique and diverse range of young people to work with and care for.

At 国产精品, we have an amazing team of people from the front office to the classrooms, the marketing and enrolments, the catering, the maintenance, the Boarding houses and the Learning Centre, who are all here to create a safe and supportive environment to help young people grow, learn and socialise to develop into valued members of the wider community. Thank you to you all.

In my role, I work with the 国产精品 teaching team, and it is rewarding to work with such professional and dedicated people who attend work each day to support the students through all phases of schooling. Please take the time to send a note, email or stop to say hello and thank the teachers looking after your child and their peers.

Thank you, 国产精品 teachers, you are a wonderful group of people. The College is blessed to have you on the team. Take care and have a safe and happy holiday. 2023 is going to be another wonderful year at 国产精品.

Clare MacDermott
Director of Teaching & Learning

JSS (Junior Secondary Sports)

Our sporting endeavours wrapped up for 2022 with the conclusion of the JSS season. We had five teams make the semi-finals 鈥� Girl's Basketball, Boy's Basketball, Girl's Touch Football, Girl's Volleyball and AFL. Two teams, Girl's Touch Football and Girl's Basketball, who beat the previously undefeated, number one team, Cairns State High School, won through to their respective Grand Finals in Week 6. Unfortunately for both teams, luck was not on their side on the day as they went down in close, hard-fought games.

Congratulations to both teams and their coaches for making the Grand Final and doing 国产精品 proud. When it comes to interschool sports, we are definitely on the rise and look forward to another exciting season of JSS in 2023 as it expands from five schools to eight. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and appreciation to all of the students who participated in JSS, including the JSS Academy, and their coaches for a fantastic season.

Thank you

Before I sign off for 2022, I would once again like to thank all the Bus Drivers, Maintenance, Administration and Catering Staff and the teachers and students for all of their assistance, support and participation this year. Without you, our Sports program would not be possible. I am already looking forward to another exciting and busy year in 2023.

I hope you and your family have a relaxing holiday and enjoy the festive season. See you next year!

Take care.

Yours in Sport,

Alex Collins
Secondary School Sports Coordinator

It has been a busy year of sports and as the year draws to a conclusion, I would like to thank all the students for their efforts. The TCN and Peninsula dates and calendar have been set for 2023 and I will be sending these details out to parents and families in January.

Congratulations to Yuki Ono who has been listed as a Peninsula Shadow for the 10Y-12Y Golf Team. Keep practising over the holidays Yuki as you may receive a last-minute call-up!

Luanna Grego has capped off a stellar year in the field of athletics. Luanna placed 1^st in the 100m and 200m at the Queensland Schools鈥� Athletic Championships. The U10 Peninsula girl's team also won bronze in the 4x100m relay. These wonderful performances earned Luanna a place on the Queensland team and last week she travelled back to Brisbane for the National Titles. Luanna placed 2^nd in the 200m and the Queensland relay team won gold. A truly amazing effort and hopefully the start of a prosperous athletic journey for Luanna.

Kind regards,

Ben Brown
Primary School Sports Coordinator

The end-of-year school holidays are coming up quickly. There are only a few remaining places available in the Vacation Care program so if you require this service over the school holiday period, we encourage you to book as soon as possible if you have not already done so.

Any bookings received after Wednesday the 7th of December will be booked at the casual fee.

There are lots of fun things included in the . If you are not yet registered for the OSHC Program, please complete an and return this to me as soon as possible.

Kind regards,

Mallory Lloyd
OSHC Service Leader

PLEASE NOTE: In the event of unforeseen circumstances the above events and associated dates may be subject to change. Please check the 国产精品 website for the most up to date calendar information.

Surf Life Saving offers a Nipper program for children aged between 5 and13 years which is designed to ensure children have fun at the beach while participating in lessons that will develop them into becoming knowledgeable participants in lifesaving and sport.

SLSQ's North Queensland Surf Lifesaving Clubs offer a welcoming family-friendly environment where there is a role for everyone. It is a great way of connecting with your local community and also giving back.

Invitation for participation

The University of Queensland and Queensland Health are partnering with 国产精品 to conduct the Queensland Child Oral Health Study (QCOHS) 2021-24. The study will provide important information about Queensland children鈥檚 oral health and dental care that will underpin future strategies to improve child dental health.

Children in Prep to Year 6 will be randomly selected to participate in QCOHS. Participation will include completing a parental questionnaire and a free dental check-up, which will be conducted at the College. Participants will receive a toothbrush pack and parents will be notified by email of the outcomes of the dental check-up.

Invitation emails will be sent out from the College in January 2023 before school resumes. If you receive an invitation via email, we encourage you to participate in this important research project.

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 鈥楽chool Counsellor鈥� 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鈥檚 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 鈥� 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.

• (Ph: 13 32 64)
• (Ph: 4041 3780) 鈥� Youth Mental Health Centre & Services
• (Ph: 4044 0130)
• (Ph: 1300 364 277)
• (1800 55 1800)
• 鈥� Anxiety, depression and suicide prevention support

We strive to keep you informed through open, efficient communication. The 国产精品 School App, Facebook and Instagram pages are regularly updated with news, events and important notices.

国产精品 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.