Term 2 Week 2 Edition | 29 April 2026
Editor’s Note
Welcome to the Term 2, Week 2 Edition of the POPCORN Newsletter.
You’ll notice two new layout changes in this newsletter designed to make it easier to navigate and read.
1. Menu
The menu for quickly jumping to different newsletter sections is now located in the blue bar at the top of the page and stays visible as you scroll.
On desktop, simply click a section name. On mobile, tap the menu (hamburger) icon to view the sections. Note that as this is a smaller edition of the newsletter, some sections are empty and their buttons are disabled.
Of course, you’re still welcome to simply scroll through the newsletter from top to bottom if you prefer.
2. ‘Read More’ buttons
To reduce scrolling, longer articles now show only the first paragraph or two, followed by a ‘Read More’ button. Click the button to reveal the full article.
If you’d rather read everything fully expanded, just select ‘Expand All Articles’
Happy reading,
Matthew Noon
Digital Communications Officer
Moving Forward with Purpose and Care
Life at school is full and varied, busy, joyful, challenging, and deeply meaningful.
Each day brings new opportunities to support our students, strengthen our community, and ensure Prince of Peace Lutheran College continues to grow and thrive.
As we begin the term, we are being intentional about how we use our time, energy, and resources.
Just as recent conversations nationally about supply and sustainability have reminded us that every decision matters, our focus this term is on ensuring our systems, programs, and people are well supported so that effort is directed where it has the greatest impact, on student learning and wellbeing.
A key priority this semester is strengthening our core systems, particularly Toddle and TASS, to support consistency, clarity, and effective communication. Used well, these systems reduce complexity and help us respond more confidently to students and families. This term also marks an important milestone as reporting moves fully into Toddle for the first time.
We are also expanding co‑curricular and extracurricular opportunities, enriching student experience and deepening belonging beyond the classroom, alongside ongoing investment in professional learning to support high‑quality teaching across the College.
There is much to celebrate, from artfully repainted learning spaces and beautifully maintained grounds, to significant investment in the Arts (over $33 000), information technology, and exciting upcoming projects across both campuses (e.g. Swings). Together, these efforts reflect our shared commitment to a vibrant, caring, and future‑focused learning community.
We thank you for your continued partnership and support as we move forward with purpose and hope.
“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established” (Proverbs 16:3).
Blessings and gratitude to you all.
Dr Susan Carter
Head of College
Calling All Real Estate Agents and Hairdressers
As we continue strengthening our connections with PoP families, we are seeking community partners who may be able to offer short work‑experience opportunities to a couple of our Year 11 students who are exploring their future pathways.
We have a mature and motivated young man who is eager to gain first‑hand insight into the Real Estate industry. A successful placement will help him confirm his interest and guide his next steps toward further training in this field.
We also have a responsible and enthusiastic young woman who hopes to begin a School‑Based Apprenticeship in Hairdressing. Work experience will support her résumé development and help her solidify her commitment to this pathway.
If you are able to support either of these wonderful students, please contact Julie Grosas via message or email at: jgrosas@princeofpeace.qld.edu.au
Successful Grant
We’re pleased to share that, in partnership with the College, the P&F has successfully secured a Community Benefit Grant of $33,084.36. These funds will support upgrades to the MSC Auditorium and stage, as well as provide funding for the College strings program – an exciting outcome for our students and wider community.
2026 Fundraising Priorities
The College has confirmed the following P&F fundraising priorities for 2026 (in priority order):
- Junior Campus bird nest swing and playground upgrade
- Student Pitch Award
- MSC & JC outdoor seating
At our most recent meeting on 22 April, the P&F pledged $20,000 towards the Junior Campus bird nest swing – an important step in enhancing play spaces for our younger students.
The College is also actively seeking funding opportunities for enhancements to Middle & Senior campus spaces also.
Shrove Tuesday
Our Shrove Tuesday event raised $180.56, which will be donated to Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS). Thank you to our wonderful parent volunteers and members of the church congregation – notably Jon Shaner – for their support.
Cross-Country Support
A big thank you to our P&F Sports Coordinator Rachelle Bowen and her team for running the much-appreciated fruit station at the Years 3–12 Cross Country.
P&F Coordinators Update
We also warmly welcome two new P&F Coordinators to the 2026 team:
- Liz Lincoln – Scholastic Book Club Coordinator, to support running our Scholastic bookclub and Book Fair, alongside Rebecca Hitchenson and Andrea Rhind.
- Jen Lea – Grants Coordinator, supporting the College in identifying and applying for grant opportunities.
What’s Coming Up
JC Metro Canteen Delivery (Term 2)
This service will continue for Term 2 while the College explores longer-term tuckshop options. We’re again looking for volunteers to deliver food orders from MSC to JC (Wednesday–Friday, approx. 10:15–11:30am). Sign-up here.
Mother’s Day Stall
Our coordinators have been hard at work preparing a lovely range of gifts for students to choose from. We’d love every student to have the opportunity to select something special – please ensure they come along with cash or eftpos on the day:
- Middle & Senior Campus: 30 April (1st & 2nd break)
- Junior Campus: 6–7 May (classes will attend in scheduled groups)
We’re also seeking parent volunteers to assist – please sign up here.
Billy G’s Cookie Dough Fundraiser
Orders close 1 May—don’t miss out! Order here.
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory P&F Food Stall
28–30 May. P&F will be running a Food stall for 1 hour prior to each performance, and looking for parent volunteers to assist. Sign-up here.
P&F Sports Fruit Station
Volunteers needed to support the P&F Sports fruit station for upcoming events: 5 June – K–2 Sports Day; 12 June – Years 3–6 Sports Day; 15 June – MSC Athletics. If you can help, please contact: PandFSports@princeofpeace.qld.edu.au.
Next P&F Meeting
10 June, 7:00pm – Junior Campus Library
We appreciate the continued support of our school community – thank you for helping us make a positive difference for our students.
Welcome Back to Term 2
It has been a wonderful start to an exciting term of learning and growing together across the Junior Campus. I hope that your child has been sharing with you about Daily Circle, a new routine that we’ve embraced on the campus as part of our professional learning with Berry St Education. I know Ms Walsh will be sharing a bit about this later in the POPCORN.
Year 3 Strings Program
We have been delighted to see the commencement of the Year 3 Strings Program. It has been a joy to watch our Year 3 students gather with specialist music tutors to begin learning the violin, viola or cello. This enriching program provides every Year 3 student with the opportunity to explore music, build discipline and experience the satisfaction that comes from learning a new skill.
Learning an instrument offers many benefits that extend well beyond music, including improved focus, determination, perseverance and effort. In my conversations with students, we have spoken about how doing hard things—like learning an instrument—strengthens our brains and helps us grow as learners. It is wonderful to see students embracing this challenge.
Communicating Student Learning
Our staff have been engaged this week in sharing student learning through Parent–Teacher–Student Conversations. Face-to-face conversations are being held tonight, Wednesday 29th, with online conferences scheduled for next Tuesday, 5th May. If you were unable to secure a booking or the available times did not suit your family, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher to arrange a time to discuss your child’s progress.
In addition, many families will have noticed Toddle performance tasks and rubrics appearing in their Toddle notifications. I recently shared a message to support families who may have had difficulty locating rubrics, and we thank you for your continued partnership as we work together to support each child’s learning journey.
ANZAC Day Commemorations
Last week we took time to honour and pay tribute to our defence families through our ANZAC Day commemorations.
Participation in services at the College, the Gaythorne RSL, as well as local community services attended by many families, acknowledged the service and sacrifices made by so many.
These moments of reflection play an important role in shaping our shared values and deepening our understanding. Thank you to Chappy Reilly, Mr and Mrs Reason, our Chamber Choir, and all those involved for making the service such a meaningful and special occasion.
We also extend our sincere thanks to our defence families for their service, sacrifice, and ongoing contribution to our community.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, we look forward to warmly welcoming mothers and the special women in our students’ lives next week for our Mother’s Day Breakfast on the Junior Campus, to be held on Wednesday, 6th May. Please make sure you have booked your ticket.
The P&F Mother’s Day Stall will also be open on Wednesday 6 and Thursday and 7 May for student who wish to purchase gifts. These occasions are always highlights on our calendar as we come together to share breakfast, spend time in classrooms, and celebrate the important people in our community.
I look forward to seeing many of you in the coming weeks as we continue to live and learn together as a community.
Be Blessed
Anne-Marie Schmidt
Head of Campus – Junior
A Positive Start to the Term
Learning, Wellbeing and Partnership
As we begin the new term, our Junior Campus is excited to continue building a learning environment where every child feels safe, supported and ready to flourish. Throughout the term, our focus will be on nurturing the whole child—socially, emotionally and academically—through a range of wellbeing and connection-focused practices.
Our free to flourish disposition focus will be on compassion. As part of our Resilience Project, we will be exploring mindfulness, gratitude and emotional literacy. A way that we live our values in our classrooms is through our Matrix of expected behaviours. What it looks like, sounds like and feels like to be respectful, responsible, build positive relationships and seek restoration to make it right.
In our classrooms, we are practising Berry Street approaches, with a strong emphasis on building relationships within a safe and connected classroom. Our educators will be using ‘circles’, where students come in, stand beside and great each other by name. They then connect with a short activity (such as a positive primer) to start the day in a positive, focused and relational atmosphere. Check in with our students and ask how its going.
As a Junior Campus, we have begun to re-focus on Respect as a shared value and behavioural expectation. We would love your voice as we define respect as a community. Students in class are also reflecting on this.
We warmly invite families to complete a short Respect Survey, your insights will help shape a shared understanding of respect across our learning community and strengthen the strong partnership between school and home.
We look forward to a positive, connected and purposeful term ahead.
Naomi Walsh
Deputy Head of Campus – Junior Campus.
Parent Teacher Student Led Conversations
Thank you to our parents, carers, and students who attended our recent face‑to‑face Parent Teacher Student Led Conversations. It was wonderful to see students confidently articulating their learning, reflecting on their progress, and engaging in meaningful conversations about their goals and next steps. These discussions powerfully demonstrate the benefits of this approach, placing students at the centre of the conversation and strengthening the partnership between home and school.
Our next round of Parent Teacher Student Led Conversations will take place online, on Wednesday 6 May 2026 between 3.30 – 6:30pm. To coordinate conferences, we use the online booking system SOBS, which allows families to select their preferred interview times.
Bookings can be made via the following link:
https://sobs.com.au/pt3/parent.php?schoolid=461
Alternatively, families can visit the College website, select the MyPop tab, scroll down, and click on the Parent/Teacher Conference Bookings (SOBS) option.
Print and Sip Workshop Postponed
We wish to inform our community that the upcoming Print and Sip event scheduled for 8 May has been postponed.
After careful consideration, we believe this event will be better positioned in the warmer months, where it can be enjoyed as a relaxed and welcoming social occasion.
We sincerely thank Ms Veena Dubey for the significant time, care, and effort she has invested in coordinating this event.
We greatly appreciate her dedication and creativity and look forward to further collaboration as we reschedule this wonderful community gathering. Please stay tuned for further updates.
Communication
Toddle provides a simple and efficient way for families to communicate directly with their child’s teachers. To send a message, open the app and select the Messaging option. From there, tap the + icon to start a new conversation, choose the teacher you wish to contact, and a chat window will open, allowing you to send your message instantly. This process helps streamline communication and ensures your message goes straight to the right person.
Just a reminder that all communication to staff needs to be done through Toddle.
Uniform Reminders
We appreciate parents and carers partnering with us to support high expectations for student presentation, which plays an important role in promoting pride in our College and a positive learning environment. Students are expected to present in a neat, conservative manner at all times while in uniform. Hair must be a natural colour with no obvious contrasts and styled so the College hat can be worn correctly. Hair at shoulder length or longer must be tied up using bands or headbands matching the student’s hair colour, with white, navy, or royal blue ribbons or scrunchies permitted. Extreme hairstyles such as undercuts, long fringes, rat’s tails, or similar are not allowed. Short hair must be no shorter than a No. 1 blade and no longer than the collar, and boys are required to be clean shaven. Make‑up, cosmetics, and nail polish are not permitted.
Jewellery is limited to a simple cross or Christian religious symbol on a fine chain, with rings not permitted. Students with pierced ears may wear one small pair of studs or small plain gold or silver sleepers; no other piercings are allowed. A watch may be worn. Students are to wear black leather lace‑up school shoes (jogger‑style leather shoes are not permitted). Please note the MSC Formal Hat cannot be worn with the current sports uniform; students may instead wear the navy broad‑brim hat, sports cap, or sports bucket hat.
Further information is available in the College Uniform Handbook
Carpark Reminders
Just a friendly reminder that all students have been asked to wait at the top of the hill, where they will be directed to move to their car once the line has come to a complete stop. Staff will be on duty to support students as they enter vehicles safely.
Students have also been reminded to cross the carpark only at the designated crossing or with a staff member wearing a high‑visibility vest. We kindly ask families to leave enough space for our bus to enter the campus at all times.
Please be aware of crossings and remember to drive slowly and safely through the carpark.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation. Your support makes a significant difference in keeping our community safe and running smoothly.
Blessings,
Coreta Lennon
Head of Campus — Senior Campus
Careers@PoP
New and Improved Careers Afternoon
Mark your calendars for Monday, 2 June, as we launch our new and improved Careers Afternoon. This refreshed event will offer students and families an engaging opportunity to explore pathways, meet industry representatives, and discover the many options available beyond school.
More details will be shared soon, but for now—save the date. It’s going to be an exciting and valuable afternoon for our young people as they plan their futures.
National Careers Week
National Careers Week is coming up in May and we will be posting valuable information each day highlighting various areas of interest. This week is coinciding with many events happening locally.
Until then, the following is a snapshot of some of what is happing currently.
Choosing your Uni
Choosing Your Uni is an online resource that is being launched during Careers Week. Students will be able to explore every Australian university beyond traditional open days, with live sessions, keynotes and on-demand viewing. More information at: https://expo.choosingyouruni.com/
SAE University College
Information Night 23 April – a relaxed event where you can chat one-on-one with our expert team. This is your chance to tour the facilities, get course advice, admissions support, and all your questions answered in one place.
For further details and registration: https://sae.edu.au/study/info-night
QUT
Year 9–10 Advice Night Tuesday 2 June 2026, 6.00–7.30pm (online). This is an online session for Year 9–10 students and parents covering QUT study options, university entry, and real student perspectives.
Senior subject selection & post-school pathways webinar Thursday 30 April 2026, 7pm – 8pm (online). SET planning isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about helping young people understand their strengths, interests and options, and keeping future pathways open.
Join QUT for a free online webinar offering practical tools, real examples and clear guidance to help connect senior subject selection with future study, training and career pathways.
Griffith Uni
Free Webinar Tuesday 28 April, 7-8pm. This webinar is designed for Year 11 and 12 students, as well as their parents or guardians. Speakers will walk you through everything you need to know to prepare for university life at Griffith.
To register: https://www.griffith.edu.au/countdown-to-uni
Interested in going to Canberra to study?
BiG Day In Canberra is on 20 August 2026 at Australian National University. This is onsite and you will hear from organisations including Australian Federal Police, ADF Careers, Australian Signals Directorate, Wisetech Global with loads more. Tickets are $5.00 per student. https://www.thebigdayin.com.au.
Gap Years
If you are interested in a Gap Year in Hospitality, Long Track Pantry, Jugiong NSW is offering a Gap Year Program. Long Track Pantry are searching for enthusiastic and energetic people to join their young team. No experience necessary. Long Track Pantry offer 6 and 12 month gap year placements. Accommodation available with flexible workdays and hours. Register online https://www.longtrackpantry.com.au or email careers@longtrackpanty.com.au for more information.
ADF Gap year programs are now open to apply. Please refer to their website for further information and the application links. https://www.adfcareers.gov.au/careers/gap-year
Indigenous Careers
New First Nations Resource Page featuring ‘Yarning about Careers’. This is a culturally responsive resource helping young people explore career pathways through storytelling with elders, family and community. Grounded in First Nations perspectives. It supports reflection on strengths and future options. Available on myfuture’s new First Nations Resources page: https//myfuture.edu.au/assist-others/first-nations-resources.
ADF work experience
Each year PoP has a few students who take up the opportunity to spend some quality time to see and explore the opportunities available for careers in the ADF. If interested please go to the below link for further information and applications. Please reach out if you have any further questions.
https://www.defenceyouth.gov.au/programs/defence-work-experience-program/
School’s Career Website
A reminder that the school’s Career website is up and running at careerspop.careertools.com.au. I have uploaded all students from Year 7 – 12 and at least 1 parent.
To set up your accounts:
- School website > Staff and student links > Student links> Class Portals> website> secure page
- Students are to use their school email and do a forget password to set up.
- Parents can also connect. If you cannot do the same as the point above please let me know and I can send you an invite for you to connect with the website.
The site is a wealth of information including upcoming Open Days and other relevant links.
Calling All Real Estate Agents and Hairdressers
As we continue strengthening our connections with PoP families, we are seeking community partners who may be able to offer short work‑experience opportunities to a couple of our Year 11 students who are exploring their future pathways.
We have a mature and motivated young man who is eager to gain first‑hand insight into the Real Estate industry. A successful placement will help him confirm his interest and guide his next steps toward further training in this field.
We also have a responsible and enthusiastic young woman who hopes to begin a School‑Based Apprenticeship in Hairdressing. Work experience will support her résumé development and help her solidify her commitment to this pathway.
If you are able to support either of these wonderful students, please contact me via message or email at: jgrosas@princeofpeace.qld.edu.au
Julie Grosas
Careers and VET Leader
Movie Night 2026: We’re thrilled to announce the return of our outdoor movie night, coming up on Friday 5 June! This fun family event will give our whole community a chance to gather on the Junior Campus Oval and watch Dr. Seuss’ classic, The Lorax. Watch for more information soon on how to reserve free tickets and pre-order pizzas, plus some other fun surprises we’re working on!
North Brisbane Youth Collaborative: If your teen is looking for a way to connect with friends, deepen their faith, and serve our community, click here for information about our combined youth group, involving students in Years 7-12 from multiple schools & churches. This Friday, 1 May, we’ll be attending the Feasts & Friends food truck night at St Paul’s Lutheran Church, Nundah. Families are encouraged to join us there from 5pm.
God’s True Story: The Bible is more than a list of rules to obey, stories to be inspired by, or morals by which to live your life. If that is all that we take it for, then we are missing the far greater story! God’s True Story is a divine drama told in six acts: Creation, Rebellion, Promise, Redemption, Church, Restoration. Join us for worship each Sunday in May, as Pastor Nick shares how each element of God’s story relates to your own life.
