Concordia CONNECT Term 1, Week 2, 2018 In this issue... A Message from Michael Paech A Message from Paul Weinert Concordia Campus Commencement Service IB Diploma Award Ceremony Siassi Teacher Visit Diary Dates St John's Campus Read a welcome from the Principal, a P&F update and can you help by hosting a Siassi teacher? In this Section From the St John's Campus Principal 2017 Parent Survey: Next Steps Siassi Teacher Visit - Urgent Request for Host Families St John's Campus BBQ - Save the Date! P&F Update Concordia Campus Hear from our new Principal, and read about new staff and student leaders, ICT matters and event information. In this Section From the Concordia Campus Principal 2017 Parent Survey: Next Steps 2018 Commencement Service IB Diploma Award Ceremony ICT Matters Upcoming Events Student Achievements From the Archives Sport Click here for the latest news and results. In this Section St John's Campus Sports Results Concordia Campus Sports Update Music Read some music notes about instrumental lessons/hire, ensemble rehearsals and Generations in Jazz. Concordia Campus Music Notes Noticeboard Diary dates, events and notices from around the College and the wider community. In this Section Diary Dates Stamps for Missions The School Shop Public Notices & Events St John's Campus Read a welcome from the Principal, a P&F update and can you help by hosting a Siassi teacher? In this Section From the St John's Campus Principal 2017 Parent Survey: Next Steps Siassi Teacher Visit - Urgent Request for Host Families St John's Campus BBQ - Save the Date P&F Update From the St John's Campus Principal Welcome Back The 2018 school year has been underway for nearly two weeks and we are pleased that our students have settled back into the routines of school life well. A particularly warm welcome to all new students and their families starting in our St John’s Campus community this year. We hope that you transition into our community quickly and enjoy your time with us. The beginning of each new year is generally marked with a level of excitement and energy as we all connect and reconnect with each other. We look forward to a great year ahead as we continue to grow and learn together, all the time knowing that God is with us. Our staff returned to school a week before our students and were engaged in several days of professional development, along with a number of different planning and preparation meetings. It is always good to be able to commence the year with a positive and clear sense of direction for the year ahead and I thank all of our staff for their involvement and commitment over these days prior to school commencing. New Staff This year we have several new staff joining our team and we extend a special welcome to them. We look forward to working alongside them as we focus on our vision to Engage. Achieve. Serve. New Student Leaders During our opening Chapel service, as well as welcoming new staff, we officially installed our Student Leaders for the 2018 school year. We look forward to the positive influence these students will have on our school community as they work with staff and lead their peers. Staff Announcements We congratulate Mrs Cailtin Wilk (4W) and her husband Jakub who are pleased to announce that they are expecting the arrival of their first child in Term 2 this year. We wish them God’s blessing as they move towards this exciting time. For parents of students in Year 4W, please note that we will be working towards finding a replacement teacher for Caitlin and we will inform you when this is done. We are also thrilled to announce that one of our Year 6 teachers from 2017, Mrs Emily O’Callaghan and her husband Kevin are the proud parents of their first child, a healthy baby boy. Hudson Ray O’Callaghan was born on Friday 2 February. We wish Emily and Kevin God’s blessing as they begin this new chapter of their life as a family. Upcoming Events Please note the following dates: Our PIN (Parent Information Night) will be held tonight, Thursday 8 February, and we encourage parents to join us for this informative evening designed to support the partnership between home and school. The schedule of the evening is as follows: First Classroom Session 7 - 7.40pm 2018 Update (in Hall) 7.45 - 7.55pm Second Classroom Session 8 - 8.40pm Staff Installation will be held on Sunday 11 February in the Concordia Chapel at 10.30am. All families are welcome to join us for this special service. Sports Day is scheduled for Friday 9 March (at the end of Week 6). A good day to note in your diary. Michael Paech Principal - St John's Campus 2017 Parent Survey: Next Steps Thank you to all of the parents across the College who completed the 2017 Parent Survey in Term 4. We were delighted with the response and appreciate the thoughtful feedback that was provided, with the vast majority of responses being very positive. The Executive teams at both campuses are currently analysing the feedback and working through a strategy to assess your suggested improvements and address the issues that have been raised. We have been able to immediately address some areas such as adjustments to the newsletter, which will be ongoing, and providing more information about accessing and using ManageBac. Further information will be communicated to parents after a full review of the survey data. Michael Paech Principal - St John's Campus Paul Weinert Principal - Concordia Campus Siassi Teacher Visit - Urgent Request for Host Families For several years, Concordia College St John's Campus has enjoyed a connection with the Siassi Islands of PNG. This year we will again be visited by a group of Siassi teachers who will participate in the professional life of our school, observing classes, being immersed in the English language, receiving inspiration and motivation for their own teaching and worshiping with an Australian Lutheran community. We are currently in urgent need of host families who would be able to host two teachers for three to five nights. For more information, please download the attached letter and view the video below to hear about the benefits of hosting a Siassi teacher. St John's Campus BBQ - Save the Date! The St John's Campus BBQ, held on the College oval, is a wonderful time to connect with other school families in a fun and relaxed environment. This year the BBQ will be held on Sunday 8 April from 12pm - 2pm. More information will be distributed to families in the coming weeks. Students in Years 2 and 5 will also be involved in a School Service of St John's Lutheran Church Unley on that day and all families are welcome to join us in the Chapel at 10.30am. For a list of diary dates, visit the noticeboard. P&F Update P&F Meeting - Monday 12 February at 7pm St John's Campus P&F (formerly known as Links) first meeting for the year will be held on Monday 12 February at 7pm in the staff room. All are welcome and we'd love to have as many parents as possible join us on the night. If you're new to the school, have never been involved with the P&F or would like to be involved again this year, we'd love to see you there! Ice blocks We would like to remind parents that ice blocks are being sold for $1 each Wednesday at recess. The ice blocks are supplied by Home Icecream and are Rite Bite approved. Please note only one ice block per child. Sally and Tanya St John's Campus P&F Co-Presidents Concordia Campus Hear from our new Principal, and read about new staff and student leaders, ICT matters and event information. In this Section From the Concordia Campus Principal 2017 Parent Survey: Next Steps 2018 Commencement Service IBDP Awards Ceremony for 2017 ICT Matters Upcoming Events Student Achievements From the Archives: New Students From the Concordia Campus Principal Even though it feels we are already well into the hustle and bustle of the school year, I wish to extend a happy new school year to parents! Thank you for returning to, or beginning, your connection with Concordia College. What will this year hold for you, I wonder? How has it begun? If you’re like me, a new year brings a whole lot of challenges, some re-visited, and some entirely new. We can sometimes become negative about this, but the truth is that it’s through challenge that we grow. It’s when we struggle with something that we think about it deeply, seek wider counsel, and hopefully grow through the experience. No pain, no gain, as the saying goes. This is the educational journey, of course: growth through challenge. It’s exactly what Jesus experienced at the start of his three-year public ministry straight after his baptism at about thirty years of age. Luke tells us (Luke 4:1), 'Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.' Tempted here is real testing, real challenging. If you read the passage you’ll see that Jesus passed without fail. That’s not always our experience. In fact, if we’re honest, our performance and development is a mixed bag. Thank God that at least before him that’s not what counts.