Concordia CONNECT Term 2, Week 6, 2021 In this issue... A message from the St John's Campus RAP Coordinator A message from the College Pastor Drama at Concordia Reconciliation Week in the ELC and Middle School da Vinci Decathlon Year 1 Urrbrae Visit Diary Dates St John's Campus Hear from the Reconciliation Action Plan Coordinator and read about a Year 1 Excursion to Urrbrae and more. In this Section From the Reconciliation Action Plan Coordinator Urrbrae Visit Reconciliation Week in the ELC Year 3s visit The Suaviter and the Heritage Centre Australia's Biggest Morning Tea Concordia Campus Hear from the Head of Senior School and read about recent Music performances, da Vinci Decathlon and more. In this Section From the College Pastor Year 9 Camp 2021 Australian Brain Bee Challenge Music Notes City of Unley Reconciliation Week Event News about Year 10 from 2022 Drama at Concordia da Vinci Decathlon Legal Studies - Excursion and Incursion Student Achievement Sport Click here for the latest news and results, including Pedal Prix Round 2 at Tailem Bend. In this Section SSSA Year 4-6 Cross Country Results and Netball Selection SSSA Year 7 Cross Country Results and Netball Selection Pedal Prix: Tailem Bend 6-Hour Race St John's Campus Sports Results Concordia Campus Sports Results Noticeboard Diary dates, events and notices from around the College and the wider community. In this Section Diary Dates Upcoming Events The School Shop Public Notices & Events St John's Campus Hear from the Reconciliation Action Plan Coordinator and read about a Year 1 Excursion to Urrbrae and more. In this Section From the Reconciliation Action Plan Coordinator Urrbrae Visit Reconciliation Week in the ELC Year 3s visit The Suaviter and the Heritage Centre Australia's Biggest Morning Tea From the Reconciliation Action Plan Coordinator National Reconciliation Week St John’s Campus students and staff have celebrated National Reconciliation Week with a range of learning activities in ELC to Year 6. We acknowledge the need for all Australians, particularly non-Indigenous Australians, to take action towards reconciliation; to commit to learning more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions; and listen to their stories, so that through deeper understanding we continue to develop respect and relationship that enables healing amongst our First Nations Peoples. 'Teach About Reconciliation' and 'Celebrate National Reconciliation Week' are two of the actions Concordia College has committed to in our Reconciliation Action Plan. The 2021/2022 version of this document was recently approved for publication by Reconciliation Australia. Our Reception children and their teachers led Assembly on Monday morning. They shared their drawings inspired by the picture book 'Sorry, Sorry' by Anne Kerr. It clearly demonstrated how even the very young can begin to understand some of the hurt and injustice experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples since the arrival of European settlers. A collaborative artwork, called Stepping Out – Taking Action, was created by all students and staff and displayed in the Junior Primary Courtyard during the week. This activity encouraged us to reflect upon our personal commitment to take action towards reconciliation. Written or illustrated on paper cut-out feet, these footsteps symbolise our commitment to work together and support each other on the journey of reconciliation. We have also shared a focus on reconciliation within our staff and class devotions, being reminded of God’s love for all his people and creation. Let us be moved to action by the example of Jesus. Let us be directed by the love and compassion he brought to the world; by the desire to develop relationships that enable understanding to grow; and by hearts convinced that we have a role to play in bringing justice to the First Nations Peoples of this land. Nancy Wells St John's Campus Reconciliation Action Plan Coordinator Visual Arts and Drama Teacher Urrbrae Visit Year 1 ‘want-to-be farmers’ Students from the Urrbrae Agricultural High School proudly showed the eager Year 1 St John’s Campus ‘want-to-be farmers’ around their agricultural campus as part of our Year 1 'How the World Works' inquiry. The students have been exploring how our world is made up of many different materials and looking at how they are used for a variety of purposes. In particular, we loved to see the sheep and alpacas and learn about the many ways wool is used in our lives. The Year 1s are also having fun using wool to create some amazing woollen creations. Year 1 Team Reconciliation Week in the ELC Reconciliation Week teaches children about the importance of playing our part in building relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Respectful practices are embedded in the ELC program. We always start our day with an ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ and greetings in the Kaurna language. This week the children have listened to stories, sung songs and used a variety of art experiences to inquire and expand their knowledge about Aboriginal people, cultures and histories. One of our educators, Ms Thiel, shared her own family’s history and friendship with Aboriginal people growing up in Alice Springs. We have embraced the theme of Reconciliation Week and believe that Reconciliation is more than a word, Reconciliation is taking action. The ELC Team Year 3s visit The Suaviter and the Heritage Centre Last Thursday, our Year 3s visited The Suaviter and the Heritage Centre to learn about the history of their College - from humble beginnings in rural Victoria to a thriving school community of around 1300 students in Adelaide. They especially had fun viewing old photos, asking about memorabilia items and looking at uniforms from earlier eras! Australia's Biggest Morning Tea What an overwhelming response to our Biggest Morning Tea! Over 640 cupcakes were baked by the Year 4 cohort!!! We raised over $730 for cancer research. The children did an amazing job baking, counting money and delivering cupcakes on the day. Here’s a message from Mrs. Reu who was able to join us for the morning… 'I had the great pleasure of being invited to the Year 4s’ Biggest Morning Tea last Friday in support of the Cancer Council. I enjoyed such a wonderful time meeting the Year 4s, and reconnecting with the lovely Year 5s and 6s and staff. When Mrs Read told me the Year 4s had been working to make and provide cupcakes for all St John’s [staff and students], I couldn’t believe it! That’s a lot of cupcakes! They clearly enjoyed their learning experience and were so generous, hardworking and skilled in using their amazing numeracy, literacy, cooperation and communication skills as they achieved their goal. Thank you so much to Mrs Read, Mrs Ruggiero, the Year 4s, their parents and all the students and school community for generously working and donating to make this such a heart-warming success…' Once again, a big thank you for your donations of time, money and yummy cupcakes too! The Year 4 Team Back to top Concordia Campus Hear from the Head of Senior School and read about recent Music performances, da Vinci Decathlon and more. In this Section From the College Pastor Year 9 Camp 2021 Australian Brain Bee Challenge Music Notes City of Unley Reconciliation Week Event News about Year 10 from 2022 Drama at Concordia da Vinci Decathlon Legal Studies - Excursion and Incursion Student Achievement From the College Pastor Freedom and lockdown The past fifteen months have been a great test of character as we have been asked to forego many freedoms that we have previously taken for granted. Keeping our distance, checking in at venues, wearing face masks, avoiding travel, enduring a lockdown or even two weeks in quarantine are things that no one would have envisioned only a couple of years ago. We are people who greatly value our freedom and it has been quite an adjustment to approach life with a different attitude. However, most of the time, the majority of people have been able to adapt to the situation knowing that there is a greater good that needs to be upheld, even it comes at a personal cost. For the sake of the vulnerable, and for the sake of our state or nation, we have made sacrifices to ensure we get through this incredibly difficult time in a way that benefits the greatest amount of people. This is not a time to be selfish; it is a time to use our freedom for another purpose – a purpose that is other-centred. Parents are generally fairly accustomed to living this way, at least to some extent. We realise that the needs of our children are to be prioritised ahead of our own, as long as their schedule of extra-curricular events doesn’t erode our family life completely(!). And I am sure that the experience of being a parent has helped many of us appreciate the sacrifices our own parents made for us throughout their lives. Our spiritual focus for this term has been on The Road of Freedom, where we have looked at Jesus’ call to us to follow him on a path that is based on sacrifice and other-centredness. His willingness to give up his freedom out of love for us resulted in his death on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven. However, his resurrection signaled the beginning of a life where death need not be our final destination. Instead, by faith in him we have been set free from its power. Our calling, now, is to walk as Jesus calls us to, along a path that is shaped by him, using our freedom to live for others and bring glory to God.