Term 1 Week 4 | 14 February 2023
College News

Whether starting in a new school, or returning to a new year in a school they are familiar with, the first few weeks of a new school year can cause anxiety for some children. As a parent, what can you do to help them settle into their new year and school?

  1. Avoid Dismissing Your Child’s Fears
    It is important to pay attention to your child’s fears and address them with empathy and understanding. Returning to school is a significant step for kids. It may seem minor to adults but children spend their entire day at school and then will, in most cases, have homework at night. The bulk of their day and their week is focused, in some way on school and their lives revolve around school and the people they see there.
  2. Visit the School with Your Child – especially with younger students if it is a new school.
    Visit spaces like your child’s new classrooms, playground and their specialist rooms. See if you can meet with your child’s teacher while you’re there. If they’re not available, you can at least find out where their homeroom class will be. Don’t forget about other important locations in the school. Locate the bathrooms, especially the ones along their daily path, so they’ll know where they can go when they have a minute between classes.
  3. Point out the Positive Features of the School.
    By looking for the positive aspects, you can show your children that the new school year may be fun for them – at least in some ways. These positive aspects will give them something to look forward to as they return to school.
  4. Show Your Children their New Routine.
    Kids love routines and will benefit from seeing how the new year will affect them. Will your child ride the bus, walk to school, or will you take them every day? Find the quickest route for your child to get to school if they’re going to walk. If a new school, take the time to drive or walk along that route so that they know where they’re going. If you’re going to be driving your child to school, take them with you as you drive by the school. Help them get familiar with the route you’ll take each day.
  5. Involve Your Children in the Process of Getting Ready for the New School Year.
    Your children can help you create morning and afternoon routines, and help you think of new breakfast ideas or favourite foods they want for lunch and after-school snacks.
  6. Remind your Children that they have Overcome Other Challenges in their Lives.
    Your kids will feel more confident if they remember the other transitions they conquered.

Acknowledgement: Monica Foley “How to Help Your Children Get a Great Start in Their New School” Child development Institute. January 2023

Every blessing for the week ahead.

Simon Hughes
Head of College

New PoP Bus Routes for 2023

Our 2023 Bus Services have changed their routes slightly to cater for our new families and our current bus users. There are extra places available for interested families on each run.

The five bus services run each school day morning and afternoon, along with an inter-campus bus service. These include:

  1. Northern Suburbs – Warner/Cashmere (also incorporates Albany Creek, Brendale and Eatons Hill)
  2. Bridgeman Downs (also incorporates McDowall, Chermside West, Aspley, Carseldine and Stafford Heights)
  3. Chermside/Stafford (also incorporates Kedron, Everton Park, Gaythorne and Mitchelton)
  4. The Gap/Upper Kedron (also incorporates Enoggera, Ashgrove, Keperra, Ferny Grove and Arana Hills)
  5. Samford/Bunya (also incorporates Ferny Hills, Camp Mountain, Wights Mountain and Closeburn)

Visit the Bus Services page on our website and use our interact map to see how close our bus comes to your home or work or download an information and application form.

Junior Campus News

Growing with Gratitude

Gratitude is one of the most important values that we can possess. Showing our appreciation for what we have, and for the kindness of others, is an essential part of a meaningful and happy life. Being grateful is not only beneficial to our physical and mental health, but to our relationships as well.

Practicing gratitude can help to increase our positive emotions, mental strength, and relationships with others. It also helps us to focus on the positive things in our life instead of the negative. Having a positive outlook can increase our overall happiness and satisfaction with life. Practicing gratitude can reduce stress and increase wellbeing by reminding us of the positive things in our life and helping us to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness.

That is why at PoP we actively and explicitly teach our students how to have an attitude of gratitude. Our Growing with Gratitude program allows our students to flourish in an optimal learning environment. ‘Just like a skill in sport, resilience can be practiced.’ The key to learning new skills and in-turn developing positive habits is time allocation (allocating time to practice), consciously practice (providing students with the opportunity to practice) and consistency (regular practice over a long period of time).

Each week, our teachers look for ways in which their students are demonstrating the Growing with Gratitude values. These students are then celebrated at our Assembly. The values we look for are:

  • An Attitude of Gratitude
  • Empathy
  • Random Acts of Kindness
  • Positive Reflection
  • Service

Showing gratitude has a powerful effect on those around us. It can strengthen our relationships with friends, family, and peers by demonstrating our appreciation of them. When we express gratitude, we are often immediately rewarded by seeing the positive effects that it has.

One of the key benefits of gratitude is that it helps us shift our focus away from negative experiences and towards the good things in our lives. When we are grateful, we are more likely to see the positive aspects of our life, rather than dwelling on what is missing. This can lead to increased happiness and reduced stress and anxiety, as we begin to appreciate the abundance that surrounds us, rather than feeling like we are missing out on something.

Gratitude also helps to build and strengthen relationships. When we express gratitude towards others, it can increase feelings of love, trust, and connection. This can be especially important in our family relationships, friendships, and peer relationships. By acknowledging the contributions of others and expressing gratitude for their support, we can create a positive and supportive environment that benefits everyone involved.

In addition to its emotional benefits, gratitude has also been shown to have physical benefits. Research has shown that gratitude can improve sleep, reduce symptoms of depression, lower blood pressure, and boost the immune system. It can also lead to a greater sense of purpose and fulfillment, as we begin to appreciate the good things in our lives and feel more connected to the world around us.

Gratitude is a powerful emotion that can have a profound impact on our lives. It is the feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for what we have, both in terms of material possessions and the people in our lives. By practicing gratitude, we can cultivate a positive outlook, improve our relationships, and increase our overall wellbeing.

Building an attitude of gratitude takes time and practice, but the benefits are well worth the effort. By making gratitude a part of your daily life, you can experience increased happiness, improved relationships, and better physical and emotional health. So, let’s work with our children by modelling an attitude of gratitude so we can all improve our wellbeing.

For further information visit the Growing with Gratitude website »

Blessings,

Coreta Lennon
Deputy Head of Campus – Junior

Knowing our Students

The beginning of the year is an exciting time for everyone, students, and teachers. Relationships are being established and teachers are building an understanding of their students as people and as learners. Knowing our students is crucial in understanding their individual needs, interests and ways of learning. This information can be used to personalise teaching approaches and create a more engaging and effective learning environment.

There are many ways that our staff make connections with students and the way they learn, one of these is the 5 Essential Questions. These questions offer a highly focused snapshot that assist staff in knowing more about our learners, how they learn and what further instruction and support they may need.

These 5 Essential Questions are on display in each of our classrooms.

Here are the 5 questions teachers can ask students:

  1. What are you learning? Why?
  2. How are you doing?
  3. How do you know?
  4. How can you improve?
  5. Where do you go for help?

As parents and care givers you have a critical role in your child’s success at school. The following 5 questions are designed to assist you as you engage with your child’s learning. We encourage you to take the opportunity at the end of the day to ask the questions and find out what learning has taken place.

5 Questions Parents can Ask Their Children

  1. What did you learn today?
  2. How did you do?
  3. What did you do if you didn’t understand?
  4. How can you improve on your learning?
  5. What are you most proud of?

We look forward to sharing our learning journey with you as we continue to work in partnership to nurture our students’ God-given potential.

Rebekah Bruyn
Learning Coach

Process Art vs Product Art

We use art-based learning to help children develop creative and fine motor skills and to nurture cognitive skills like planning and problem-solving. Research has shown that in “product art” children are provided with a model to work from, and instructions on how to go about it. Along the way, they are supported by the teacher, but in the end, their artwork is expected to look like the original.

As a school, we are excited about moving towards inspiring our early years’ students to create “process art”. Process art allows children the freedom to imagine, innovate and experiment.  In other words, an open-ended art experience where the child is in control of what they are creating instead of the teacher giving them step-by-step directions and assistance.

Some questions to ask your child about their artwork:

  • What can you tell me about your picture?
  • Where did you get your idea?
  • What is your favourite part of the picture?
  • If you were doing this picture again, what would you change or do differently?

Angela Irving
Early Years Learning Coach

Farewell and Thank You Mrs Langdon

Earlier this term, the College community said farewell to a much loved and respected colleague – Mrs Amanda Langdon.  She was able to attend a Friday Chapel service and kindly allow us to thank her for the 23 years of service  at PoP.

During this time, she shared some memories of her time at PoP, reminded us of who we are and blessed us with her favourite Bible verse. Below is my favourite section of her speech; you can read Amanda’s full speech here »

“With so much change over the years, there were a few things that never changed. God has always held Prince of Peace tightly in his hand and his love for this school is solid, steadfast and mighty. He has called you ALL to be in this place and he is working through you each and every day.

Never forget that he loves you, you are precious and you are created perfectly in his likeness. That means you are all pretty awesome! Something else that never changed through the years was the way students and families cared for each other and were there for each other. PoP does community and belonging so well!”

Middle & Senior Campus News

To Lead is to Serve

It was a delight to be able to share with Year 12 and 1 students, parents and Junior Campus students and staff in the Jersey and Buddy Blessing Worship in the Church this last week. The Jersey for our Year 12 students is a symbol of the 13 years of education that our young adults have experienced. It is an invitation for our young people to reflect on each year of their education and how each of these years have shaped them into the person they are today. The teachers and peers they have met along the way have taught them so much and enriched their lives.

Each one of our Year 12 students is a leader and becomes a buddy to a Year 1 student in their final year of education at Prince of Peace. What a special gift of service that our young adults give back to the future generation of Prince of Peace. It reminds us that in way of Jesus to lead is to serve.

Year 9 Ubuntu Calling Ceremony

It was a delight to be able to share with Year 9 students and parents/caregivers in their Ubuntu Calling Ceremony, and Ubuntu teachers Sharon Grimes, Norm Russell, Richard Stevens and Year 9 Coordinator Mark Rienecker in Week 3. Ubuntu is a unique rites of passage program that encourages our young people to recognise they have moved out of the stage of childhood development into the next stage of their life development in becoming a young adult.

So what is significant about the call that our young people made in this ceremony? It is a call to act, reflecting on what is the need or cause for action.  It is a call to an adventure. A call to go on a journey of growth and reflection.

We pray that every student in Year 9 this year works towards developing a sense of who each of us are individually and who we are as part of the wider group. The word Ubuntu means “I am because we are”. These two questions become a foundation in their lives; Who are you? Who are we becoming?

Coffee mornings with the Middle and Senior Campus Leadership Team

We would love to spend time with parents and seeking ways to improve the culture of learning and wellbeing at Prince of Peace and build partnerships with parents. The following two Coffee mornings will be occurring on the Middle and Senior Campus for parents to come along and meet the Director of Wellbeing and Behaviour Support – Melissa Graham, Director of Teaching and Learning – Wendy Bowen, Director of QCE – Jonathan Klupp and Head of Campus (Middle and Senior) – Sarah Hoff-Zweck; Monday 27 February and Monday 6 March 8:30am-9:30am. Please RSVP to Sue Noon via email at snoon@princeofpeace.qld.edu.au if you wish to attend.

We have continued to reflect in our Worship gatherings on the 4 Rs of Respect and the Class of Year 12 for 2023’s theme – ‘Compassionate and Connected Community’ from Colossians 3:12-14;

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Every blessing as we continue to live out these words in our relationships with each other in community, in our homes and work places.

Sarah Hoff-Zweck
Head of Campus – Middle and Senior

Walking Humbly with God

Worship on the Senior Campus is off to a great start this year and it was lovely to be acknowledged at the Staff Installation ceremony in Week 3 alongside my colleagues and to affirm all College staff commitment for 2023.  It is so important to feel a strong sense of belonging in any community and especially within our Prince of Peace College community as we journey together in learning and life to nurture God-given potential.

Worship in Weeks 3 & 4 will focus on Respect, one of the four values that contributes to positive relationships that facilitate mutual care and respect, security, encouragement and hope.  The Reading from Micah 6:8 is the focus of Worship message about respect.

We act justly when we have self-respect and respect for others.  When we start Worship with Acknowledgement of Country we pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present and emerging. We act justly and respectfully when we include others and have equitable access to learning in our College.

When we Love mercy, we show kindness and compassion through respectful relationships, taking responsibility for what we say and do, and facing up to healing hurt when it has been caused to strengthen relationships.

Finally, our actions speak louder than our words as we walk humbly with our God.  To walk humbly is to have respect for yourself and others in a way that benefits the community, collectively everyone makes it a better place!  We are all leaders of a compassionate connected PoP College community and together we can make a difference.  The PoP Productions team certainly make a difference to our Worship every week by providing live music – we are grateful for the talents of our students and teachers to make Worship an engaging experience.

Peace to you,
Melissa Graham
Director of Wellbeing – Middle and Senior Campus

OzHarvest FEAST Program

Did you know that in Australia, we waste 7.6 million tonnes of food each year, costing our economy $36.6 billion. A staggering 2.5 million tonnes of food waste comes directly from our homes, equating to 312kg per capita.

OzHarvest developed the FEAST Program to help tackle the issue of food waste in Australia, to promote better environmental, social and economic outcomes.

I have chosen to teach this program this year to the Year 7 and 8 Food Technology students. To enhance their learning we will be collecting non-perishable food items that will be donated to ozharvest to create meals for those in need.

Student’s will assess the donations and write user friendly recipes using up the food.

Each of the Year 7 and Year 8 Pastoral Care classes will have collection hampers. There will also be collection baskets at the main and student reception as well as one in Small Admin.

Please support this awesome cause

Blessings,

Mrs Julie Grosas
Food Technology Teacher

Sports Score

Junior Campus Sport

Thank you kindly for the warm welcoming to the PoP community. We sure have hit the ground running, or should I say swimmingly.

Congratulations to our PoP Swim teams who last week attended the North District and or NISSA Swimming Carnivals. Well done to each and every student who competed in their event/s with pride and to the best of their ability.

A strong contingent of 19 swimmers attended the annual 4-6 NISSA Twilight Swim meet held at Genesis Christian College on Friday 10 February. The event is a wonderful way to kick start the interschool competition, with students being able to participate in both individual and relay events. Our students represented the College exceptionally well and all participated to the best of their abilities. We were able to claim 3rd place in both the percentage and overall shields. Congratulations to all students!

Further congratulations to Jennifer Labuschagne, Thomas Doolan, Rosezen Johnston, Lily Isles, Liam Darben and Samantha Harman qualifying in various events for Regionals later this month.

Congratulations to Aaron Jaishi and Patrick Falk, recently selected in the North District Cricket Team. We wish you both all the best in your preparation for the Regional competition.

Prince of Peace is a part of the Northern District – an association of 16 local Independent and Government Schools. Club/High-level performers aged 10-12 Year Olds (Born 2011, 2012 & 2013) are encourage and can trial for North District representative teams. I will continue to email ND trial information out to Year 4- 6 families, via SEQTA, as I receive information from the District.

PLEASE NOTE: 10-12 BOYS NORTH DISTRICT FOOTBALL (SOCCER) TRIALS have been postponed from 16 February to 13 March at Aspley State High School.

 TERM 1 PoP Sporting Carnival Events

  • Term 1, Week 5, Friday 24 February – NISSA 4-6 Gala Day
  • Term 1, Week 9, Wednesday 22 March – P-2 Fun Run
  • Term 1, Week 9, Friday 24 March – NISSA 4-6 Gala Day
  • Term 1, Week 10, Tuesday 28 March – 3-12 Cross Country Carnival

If you have any queries or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Jessica Schneider
Junior Campus PE Teacher & Sport Coordinator

Middle & Senior Campus Sport

Just a friendly reminder that all sporting information for the Middle and Senior Campus can be found on SEQTA in the notices section. It is really important that this is checked regularly as new opportunities and information are consistently uploaded and updated.

Senior School NISSA Competition

We are getting closer to the beginning of our first NISSA Senior school fixture! Students in Years 7-10 have been involved in trials and training this term in preparation for the competition’s commencement in Week 5.

A few changes have been made to our training schedule due to the amount of teams we have and the facilities that we have access to. Instead of training occurring at lunch time, the decision has been made to use a PC lesson for this purpose. This enables our facilities to be available to all at lunch time and gives our coaches the chance to train with smaller groups whilst still meeting the training requirements.

Once the season begins in Week 5, students will be training on the following days:

Years 7 & 8 training will be during Friday PC time.

Years 9 & 10 training will be during Tuesday PC time.

Year 9 PC classes will join Friday Worship with the Senior PC classes in Weeks 5-10 and Weeks 1-5 next term. It will be expected that students are in their Sports uniform for these training sessions.

Once the season begins, students will need to be on busses by 12.30pm at the latest. With the new timetable restructure on a Wednesday and Thursday, lesson 4 finishes at 12.05pm. Students will need to make their way up to the area between R block and D block to be supervised whilst eating their lunch before boarding the bus. They are obviously more than welcome to bring additional food with them to eat at the venue if they wish.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do get in touch with me via SEQTA message.

Gabby Collman
Sports Coordinator
HPE, Science and Mathematics Teacher

Music and the Arts

Junior Campus Music News

Rehearsals have Commenced

Junior Campus Choirs rehearsals have commenced. However, you’re still welcome to come along to the next rehearsal and give it a go. Times as below.

Tuesday: JC Upper Primary Choir (Years 4-6) — 7:40am in the Music Room
Wednesday: PoP Junior Voices (Years 2-3) — 7:40am in the Music Room

Classroom Music

It’s RECORDER TIME.  Woohoo.  The Year 4 students were super excited to start the recorder last week.  Parents – maybe not as keen 😉

Recorder Karate has been introduced and students may come in at morning tea / lunch to earn belts.  My door has almost fallen off its hinges with the amount of students playing Hot Cross Buns to receive their White Belt.

Prep students are learning a lot of new vocabulary in the Music Classroom:

  • beat
  • rhythm
  • high, low
  • loud, quiet
  • fast, slow

They’re also learning the difference between their speaking and singing voices, different ways to move to the music and play different percussion instruments.

Instrumental Music

Just a reminder that if your child is attending at excursion, it is your responsibility to let the Tutor know.  Notice given prior to the day of the excursion, will allow tutors to reschedule lessons.  If you do not let them know, there is no guarantee that a lesson can be made up.

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

Welcome to All of Our Music Families for 2023

As this goes to print we will already have started with private tuition in Strings, Voice, Piano, Guitar and Percussion. Brass will start as soon as I have a new tutor appointed. If you want to start lessons in 2023 and have not yet submitted a form, it is not too late. You can collect a form from the Middle and Senior Campus main office or from Ms Brady in M1.

SEQTA appointments  will be in the student’s timetable clarifying Ensemble rehearsals and Private Tuition times. Ensemble Rehearsals for 2023 will be as per the schedule below.  If in doubt see Ms Brady.

Please remember how important it is for the team that everyone is at all rehearsals. The music just isn’t the same without you! Being on time and having all of your music and gear is all a part of the learning experience and develops disciplines and skills, which will be useful in all aspect of life.

Date Saver: Soloists on Show Soiree is on Wednesday 15 March. Start practicing your solo pieces and watch out for the nomination forms in the next POPCORN.

SHREK the MUSICAL is going to be a hoot! Rehearsals are enormous fun. We are blessed to have a truly amazing cast and this will be a sell out show! Watch out for ticket information coming soon.

Let’s get started and make some music!

Linda Brady
Middle & Senior Campus Curriculum Leader of Music and Coordinator of Extra-Curricular Music

Church News & Notices

Worship

Sunday 19 February

9am Worship

Youth@PoP — 3:30 to 5pm

5pm Together@5 

Please keep an eye on the Prince of Peace Church Facebook page for service updates.

Messy Church

Feb 19 5pm

Family night to explore the topic of Generosity through crafts, activities and lollies! Dinner at the end of the night too. More info can be found at princeofpeace.org.au/messychurch

First Communion

Starts 26 Feb with first communion taking place on 2 April. Our First Communion class invites parents to share in their child’s journey as they learn more about holy communion, and prepare to receive this special meal for the first time. More info can be found at princeofpeace.org.au/firstcommunion

GROW

Our youth faith formation journey aka confirmation. Our aim is to help young people grasp the concepts and language that enables them to process their faith and trust in God in a post church world. GROW occurs within worship at Together@5 fortnightly during the school terms. More info can be found at princeofpeace.org.au/grow

Community News and Notices

Click on an image below to download OSHC program as a PDF.

Lutheran Youth of Queensland (LYQ) Events

The Lutheran Youth of Queensland (LYQ) exists to champion young people in faith, life and learning through our holiday camps and events.

If you’d like any more information about these events, head to www.lyq.org.au or contact our office on 3511 4080…we’re more than happy to help!

Useful Links

College Calendar

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