A Busy Term
When I say ‘it’s been great to start to get back to some normality’, I do understand that we don’t really know what normal is yet, and it’s certainly not the normal of 30 months ago. That said, it has been good to start to see some more events coming back online this term, despite the shifting and moving that has had to happen at times to dodge weather and illnesses. We’ve had a couple of themed tuckshops on the Junior Campus—thanks to our tuckshop chefs. Quite a few of our year levels have been off to camps, from the Sunshine Coast to Canberra and every temperature in between. Junior School have run a fantastic Sports Day, with the Middle and Senior students looking forward to theirs this Friday. Our classes are all gearing up for some fun dressing up on Thursday in their own individual themes. Add to that buddies, a number of excursions, several cohort services at the PoP church, interschool sports, several arts and music performance evenings, and quite a few other events I’m sure I’ve failed to mention on top of the everyday learning and routines of the week, it’s been a busy term. Many thanks to all our volunteers who have helped out along the way, and all our staff who have been busy preparing and running all these events for our students to experience and enjoy.
Reporting
In the next few days, Semester 1 reports will be released for all students. Hopefully, for many year levels now, the increased information you have been receiving around your child’s assessments through SEQTA, or SeeSaw for our younger students, will mean that you already have an excellent insight into how your child has been travelling in their learning journey. I encourage you to work through the report slowly with your child over the break. Look for successes in the areas they find most difficult, encourage them to set goals for the coming term, celebrate improvements and achievements. Have them unpack their thoughts and ideas about their results with you. For those areas where they are achieving well, challenge them to find the next step. Where they are struggling, encourage them to look for the improvements that will, always, be there from the last six months. Most of all, make them feel special, valued and encouraged.
Many blessings for the coming break. We will see our all our students back on Wednesday 13 July (as Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 are Pupil Free days for Prince of Peace).
Simon Hughes
Head of College
Upcoming Open Mornings
Existing Prince of Peace families are welcome to book in for a tour at one of our upcoming Middle and Senior Campus Open Morning dates.
We will be hosting our next Open Morning on Tuesday 9 August.
Both Campuses will also host an Open Morning in October 2022.
We ask that existing parents encourage interested family and friends to book in via our website.
I Am Not Lost
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
In the world we live in what is the truth? What is the right way to go? And when it comes to life do you really live it or are you just drifting?
Where do you turn when you need direction?
I marvel at the use of consultants in our busy corporate thinking world especially when the job is far smaller than the money spent. These consultants are paid good money (and they should be) to give information that many people could have gained by simply asking those concerned at grass roots level what the situation is like.
Many of our big corporations have lost good customer service. Call centres have less staff now than ever and still use the old recorded message, ‘Due to COVID we are experiencing a higher number of calls than usual and your wait time will be an hour.’
Yet when consultants are engaged to determine customer satisfaction, they will come to the conclusion that there is low customer satisfaction simply because people cannot get through to be heard, so their problem can be addressed. Instead, people are being forced into an online space to do everything which for some is a great joy but for others, they feel they are only ‘a number’, and are no longer living in a community of real humans to interact with. There is no longer the need to deal with people. In turn we can get quite comfortable in living in our own world and serving ourselves—where we can start to form our own truths about life.
We don’t need a consultant in our own life to tell us that we often have things that we are not dealing with. We may have not forgiven an old friend, a grievance, or we may be holding a grudge toward someone who has unknowingly taken our space or promotion or item.
It is Jesus who is the truth. He says your life is filled with brokenness as you are not perfect, but I am the way, I will perfect your faith along this journey of life, and in me you will not just live but be alive in me. Know you are loved, know you are forgiven, know I am the way—follow me. In me, Jesus says, you have a new start each day. In me Jesus says you are loved and set free from all that burdens you. Come to me, I will listen to you and accept you as you are.
Pastor Mark Gierus
College Pastor
2022 INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS AND ASSESSMENTS FOR SCHOOLS (ICAS) — Years 2-12
The college is offering an opportunity for students in Years 2- 12 to participate in the 2022 International Competitions and Assessments for Schools Competition (ICAS).
ICAS has taken place annually in schools throughout Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, the Pacific Region and South Africa. Your child is invited to participate in 2022.
ICAS provides an opportunity for all students to gain a measure of their own achievement in an external testing situation, it provides teachers, parents and students with comprehensive reporting of results in the areas of Digital Technologies, Science, English, Mathematics, Spelling and Writing. In 2022 all ICAS Assessments are online assessments.
All students receive a printed certificate and an online results report indicating which questions they answered correctly and their score compared with the rest of the students tested. The student report is also useful for highlighting student strengths and weaknesses.
Certificates are awarded for each year level as follows:
- High Distinction Certificate to the top 1% of entrants
- Distinction Certificate to the next 10% of entrants
- Credit Certificate to the next 25% of entrants
- Merit certificate to the next 10% of entrants
- Participation to all other participating students. It is important to note that ICAS is a competition and is ranked according to the bell curve of participants who are assessed, rather than a standardised benchmark. The percentages allocated to awards are approximate and will vary according to the number of students taking each test and the distribution of their scores.
The test sitting period is officially set as one week (5 days). The college will determine which day of that week the assessment will be held. The entry fee per student per assessment is as follows:
If you would like your child to participate in any of the subjects listed above, please visit the online Parent Payment System to make a direct payment to UNSW Global. The Parent Payment System is a simple and secure online payment service specifically for parents to purchase ICAS Assessments. After payment is made you will receive an order confirmation email, please keep this for your records.
The web link is: https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps
Our school’s unique access code is: VMM088
Online parent payment closes Sunday, 31 July 2022
Please ensure you enter your child’s name accurately into the System as it will appear on their ICAS certificate.
For more information please visit the EAA website at:
https://www.unswglobal.unsw.edu.au/educational-assessments/products/icas-assessments/
Sharing the Learning Journey
It is hard to believe that the end of another term has arrived. I want to thank everyone for the part they have played in making learning and growing at PoP an experience to be cherished. With the COVID restrictions easing, it has been wonderful to see parents gathering on the campus to see and hear first-hand the learning that has occurred in the recent Project Learning Experiences, chapels and the Lower Primary Arts Night. We know that parents and carers play a very important and active role as you share the learning experiences with your child.
I have seen students display a sense of joy and pride as they have been able to share their work and learning beyond a typical classroom experience. It is my hope that as you have listened to students share, that you have been able to see the journey they have travelled. Remember every journey is filled with twists and turns, mistakes and frustrations, each requiring perseverance as well as successes. It is often through the struggles that the best and most meaningful learning happens.
Continuous Reporting and Reports
This past term our teachers have been releasing some criteria sheets through SEQTA as part of our plans to keep you informed about your child’s learning in a more ongoing manner. Often, these rubrics or criteria sheets form only part or a small unit of your child’s learning. It is quite possible that your child could achieve an ‘At Standard’ grade for one section of their work and then for the entire semester an ‘Advancing’ grade as they have achieved at a higher standard on some of the other aspects of learning or vice versa.
Student reports will be released this week and these give an overview of your child’s achievement in Semester 1. If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher. If this doesn’t suit before the school holidays, there are parent/teacher interviews scheduled early in Term 3.
Year 6 Canberra Trip
I couldn’t miss the excitement that was displayed amongst the Year 6 students as I joined them in Canberra last week. Experiences gained from such a trip are best described in person, but images do a good job too. A huge thank you to the staff who supported the Year 6 students during this time and to the Year 6 students who tackled this experience with enthusiasm, resilience and thoughtfulness. You did us proud.
We have a photo gallery here on the College website with more Canberra Trip photos (if you are unsure of the usual password please email us) >
Farewell—Mr Swift and Miss Macdonald
After 11 years of teaching at Prince of Peace, it is time to say farewell to Mr Swift as he leaves the College to work as a Teacher Librarian. We will miss seeing you out and about for daily fitness with your class, jamming in the chapel band, your love for our heavenly Father and so much more.
In other staffing news, Miss Maddy Macdonald, Year 2 teacher, notified the College that she was leaving at the end of this term. While Maddy has only been at PoP for a short time, she has shared a passion for teaching, love of children and a spectacular collection of colourful earrings.
As a community, we have been so blessed for the time, expertise and care both Ben and Maddy have shown. We wish you both the very best for the future.
Holidays are here!
Finally, I wish everyone the most excellent holiday. May it be what you planned, and an opportunity to recharge, reconnect and revive! See you back on campus on Wednesday 13 June.
Be blessed
Anne-Marie Schmidt
Head of Campus – Junior
Real World Community Connections
Year 1 & Year 12 Buddy Get-Together
A Photo Scavenger Hunt around the Middle and Senior Campus created a hive of activity for our Year 1 and Year 12 Buddies. Shooting hoops, banging the drums, finding a key in the veggie patch… the activities were perfect for helping our young friends find their way around the campus.
Year 12 Physical Education—Micro-Cycle Training Strategy
Our Year 12 PED students have been working up a sweat implementing their individualized training sessions. As part of their final internal assessment, students have developed a micro-cycle training strategy, to which they will evaluate its potential effectiveness at optimising their performance in Touch Football. Great work Seniors!
Year 9 Enterprise Day
Both of our recent Enterprise Days were a tremendous success. Our Year 9 students handled the pressure of setting up their stalls, preparing the food, customer service and financial control exceptionally well. There was a lot of problem-solving required at the last minute, which helped the groups build real-world job and team skills. Overall, both days generated a profit with all proceeds to be invested back into creating more entrepreneurial activities within the College.
Visual Art Exhibition with a Difference
Our Year 10 Visual Arts students proudly presented their artworks to the rest of the campus in a fun and colourful exhibition they dubbed the ”Big Board Bananza’; with each piece of art having been crafted on a skateboard deck.
Sarah Hoff-Zweck
Head of Campus – Middle and Senior
Careers @ PoP
As we are heading into a well-deserved holiday, I am progressing through 1:1 interviews with Year 12 students regarding where they are at with planning for life after PoP. Some of the most popular questions that I am receiving are about when they can start applying for university through QTAC, Educational Access Scheme (EAS), University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) and Early Entry programs.
The QTAC site will be open for applications on 3 August. After that date, we will be kick-starting ATAR registrations and applications. I will meet with the Year 12s to explain this.
Educational Access Scheme or EAS, is applied for at the same time as the QTAC application. It is designed to help applicants whose recent study was impacted by financial or personal challenges. If your EAS application is successful, you may receive adjustments to your QTAC selection rank. This can help you compete for tertiary study on a more equal basis. Categories and further explanation can be found on the QTAC website.
The main items that you need to be concentrating on now are UCAT if your student is intending on applying for a medical course, and to have a look at the Early Entry Programs on the various University webpages. Some programs will be opening in July, however most will be starting at the same time as QTAC. Closing dates for early entries are usually around September.
So in the meantime I would strongly encourage you to look at the QTAC website with your student, peruse the course search and start to get an idea of what your child’s strengths and interests are. Please contact me if you have any other questions that I can assist with.
Blessings,
Mrs Julie Grosas
Careers and VET Leader
Junior Campus Sport
Year 3-6 Athletics Carnival
On Tuesday 7 June, we were blessed with cold, crisp weather and a wonderful turn out for our first onsite Year 3-6 Athletics Carnival. Students aged 8-12 participated in nine different events. For high jump and long jump, they had be pre-selected into ‘Ribbon’ and ‘Points’ divisions. It was impressive to see their competitiveness, participation, support of their fellow competitors and quality of sportsmanship.
Thank you to everyone who came to support and assist on the day.
Our Age Champions will be presented with their medallions on Friday afternoon following closing Chapel.
8yrs Girls: Zara Caplice
8yrs Boys: Ross Murie
9yrs Girls: Katie Richardson
9yrs Boys: Ethan Muhlheim
10yrs Girls: Rosezen Johnston
10yrs Boys: William Thomas/ Patrick Falk
11ys Girls: Hannah McKinnon
11yrs Boys: Oliver Spargo
12yrs Girls: Sophie Griffin
12yrs Boys: Kaelan Harvey
Overall Point score:
Bradman: 1823
Jackson: 1746
Fraser: 1731
Laver: 1142
Nate Achieves More Success in the Pool
Nate in Year 6 has achieved further success in the pool after some dominant performances at the recent Brisbane Junior Metropolitan Swimming Championships.
Nate placed 1st in the 100m and 200m Freetyle, 2nd in the 50m Freestyle, 6th in the 100m Medley and 9th in the 50m Backstroke.
Nate also won the Boys 10 years Junior Metropolitan Age Champion award.
This is a phenomenal achievement and we are so proud to see that all your hard work is paying off.
Matthew Barben
Junior Campus HPE and Sport
Junior Campus Music News
Instrumental Music
A reminder that if your child is unwell, or away from school for any reason, please contact the tutor on the morning of the lesson. This will give tutors time to rearrange other lessons if possible.
Also, as a matter of courtesy, if your child is NOT continuing lessons in Term 3, please contact myself / tutor this week.
String Ensemble
Congratulations to the String Ensemble, for your performance at assembly on Monday, led by Ms Joanne Leask.
It was a joy to listen to this beginning ensemble.
Junior “Arts” Night – Wednesday 22 June
All Prep to Year 3 students, parents and caregivers are invited to our “Arts Night”. Art work created during Term 1 and Dance repertoire in Term 2 (so far) in lessons with Mrs Rebecca Rees will be on display. This will be followed by performances from the Junior Choir, Junior String Ensemble, and some special guests.
Upper Primary Choir and Band will also be performing.
This will be held in the Shed from 5:30pm to view artwork and the concert will begin at 6pm.
Should you have any questions about the instrumental, choral or classroom music program on the Junior Campus, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Sherree Cudney
Junior Campus Music
Middle & Senior Campus Music News
Rhythms Riffs and Refrains was a Great Night
Thank you to everyone who came and made the night so special. It was indeed cold, but we were cosy inside and it somehow worked to bring the team closer together. Jurassic battles were had. Family members joined in. Students covered spontaneously for others who were not well enough to be there. Their peers sang and waved arcs in the air from the back of the room. There was a tangible buzz.
PoP Gala Celebration of Music
Our PoP Gala Celebration of Music will be held on Thursday 18 August at 6pm in the Chapel on the Junior Campus.
And the theme is We’re Living in the 70s!
We are SO excited. Choosing music has been a real hoot!
To all of our wonderful students and families, enjoy a blissfully peaceful holiday. Take time to restore. Remember your 5 points of homework:
- Sleep and Sleep and Sleep and Sleep
- Eat well – not the short cuts we take towards the end of a busy term
- Do something you LOVE every day and consciously be aware of how wonderful it is
- Do something kind for someone else every day – not random – but intentional kindness, something you know they will appreciate
- Tell the people who run around caring for you during term how much you love and appreciate them – EVERY DAY. Because it is true.
Appointments will be in SEQTA as normal, please accept these.
See you all after a good rest!
Let’s make music!
Linda Brady
Middle & Senior Campus Curriculum Leader of Music and Coordinator of Extra-Curricular Music
Worship
Sunday 26 June
9am Worship
Youth@PoP — Sunday 26 June:
Cricket on the Oval—all ages
Questions? Email youth@princeofpeace.org.au
5pm Together@5
Please keep an eye on the Prince of Peace Church Facebook page for service updates.