Fearless Learning The Responsible Thinking Classroom (RTC) is designed to implement a Process (RTP) which teaches children and adults how to implement effective problem solving skills in order to achieve what they want without violating the rights of others. These skills can then be applied to a range of circumstances …
The Responsible Thinking Classroom (RTC) is designed to implement a Process (RTP) which teaches children and adults how to implement effective problem solving skills in order to achieve what they want without violating the rights of others. These skills can then be applied to a range of circumstances which in addition to classroom behaviour include managing sibling or peer disputes, parent-child disagreements, learning about and using key aspects of our personalities well, planning future academic success… and the list goes on!!
One of the strategies that we use to assist students remember this Process is planning. The plan acts as a guide to students and adults to assist them develop the cognitive process of independent responsible thinking.
A child or adult’s ability to develop the skills required for independent responsible thinking can become disrupted. One of the key disruptions we see in the RTC is fear.
Occasionally we have students who despite having previous RTC experiences begin demonstrating heightened fear responses such as crying, lying or anger. When we speak with these students we usually learn one of two root causes for the child’s fear. First, fear of a parent’s negative reaction or second, fear of punishment. These fear responses, if mild, do not necessarily act as a disruption. However, if a child becomes fixated on the punishment or parents reaction, demonstrates uncontrollable sobbing, or is even demonstrating fearful responses to the idea of RTC when they are simply being reminded of the classroom rules then it is highly likely that the fear is unhealthy and impacting on the child’s ability to focus on learning responsible thinking skills.
It is common for a student who is fearful of attending RTC to remember feeling afraid, their response such as crying, and their parent’s response such as disappointment or punishment. What we also notice is that fear-disrupted students are usually unable to remember why they were referred or what they learnt about managing future similar incidents. This response is identical from the littlies in prep to year 12 students and reflects the findings of the California Science Centre (N.D) which suggests that stress hormones make it easier to recall memories of emotional experiences.
Scientific studies have shown that heightened stress can “impair the development of the prefrontal cortex, the brain region that is critical for the emergence of executive functions including making, altering and following plans; controlling and focusing attention, inhibiting impulsive behaviours and developing the ability to hold and incorporate new information in decision making (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2010).” Clearly these skills are integral to the development of independent responsible thinkers and should be cultivated from childhood right through to adulthood.
RTC is designed purposefully to be a safe place for students. It is common for students to demonstrate a mild fear response the first time they are referred to the RTC. Aware of this response the RTP Facilitators take special care of first-time students to help them have a positive RTC experience and memory. However equally important to our response is the parent’s response as this is the final stage of the process and the last memory the child will formulate in regards to their memory of the people, place and their interpretation of the experience.
This year we are aiming to irradiate fear responses in all students towards learning Responsible Thinking. So how can you help? Adults play a huge role in creating or reducing fear responses in children, a key reason for this is that children often develop fears by watching their parent’s own fearful reactions. You can help your child minimise their fear responses by following these simple ideas suggested by the California Science Centre (N.D.).
| Parent’s Guide to Childhood Fear | How to Apply this to RTC Related Fear |
| Talk to your child about their fears. Remember that to them, these fears are very real and serious | If your child is afraid of going to RTC talk to them about why they are fearful, was it a specific experience, a reaction, feelings such as embarrassment or disappointment? What role are you playing in this fear memory? |
| Help children prepare for future exposure | Talk positively to your child about what the RTC room looks like, the importance of writing a plan, the skills they will develop, the people they will meet. |
| Don’t allow children to avoid their fears completely as this can aid in worsening their fear | Encourage children to view RTC as a place to learn new skills which is exciting rather than asking them to avoid going to the RTC. If students avoid the RTC they will not only will they become more fearful but they will miss out on learning invaluable social skills. |
| Share with your child positive strategies you use to overcome your own fears rather than imposing your own fears on them. | If you believe RTC is a bad place or if you use RTC as a punishment your child is likely to view it the same way. However if you share how you use skills such as reflecting on how actions impact on others, how to plan future responses and how to talk calmly about problems your child will begin to utilise these strategies themselves. |
Finally what type of memory do you want your child to recall in the future when they are faced with problems?
In RTC we celebrate every opportunity for students and adults to become familiar with using responsible thinking. Why? Because our goal is for every student to graduate year 12 with the independent responsible thinking skills they need to navigate relationships, work places and life challenges.
Speech Therapy at our College Does your child experience difficulties in any of the following areas? Comprehension Oral Language expression/talking Written Language Reading & writing/literacy …
Does your child experience difficulties in any of the following areas?
If so it may be the result of an underlying speech and language difficulty. Speech Pathologists study, diagnose and treat communication disorders, including difficulties with speaking, listening, understanding language, reading, writing, social skills, stuttering and using voice. Speech Pathologists assess and provide life improving treatment, support and care.
Michelle Sparg is an independent, mobile private certified practicing speech-Language Pathologist with 24 years of generalised and highly specialist experience having worked with Kindy, Primary and Secondary Students.
Michelle Sparg, a certified practicing Speech-Language Pathologist, is in her 9th year of working successfully at our school alongside students, parents, teachers and learning support staff to maximise learning potential within the classroom.
For further information on this highly valued service currently offered at our College, please contact Michelle Sparg on sparg4@bigpond.com or 0435492716.
Parklands turn out for the Boys & Girls CSSAQ Gala Day On Thursday and Friday last week the Secondary Boys & Girls respectively played in …
On Thursday and Friday last week the Secondary Boys & Girls respectively played in the CSSAQ Football Gala Day at Park Ridge Panthers Football Club.
Across both days all students played courageously and represented the school with honor. There we’re some fantastic goals, leadership and sportsmanship on display which was amazing to see. Spectators from another school spoke with Mr P and Mr Lewis after the tournament and congratulated all of our students who they thought played throughout the day with great spirit and determination.
We look forward to the next CSSAQ Gala day which will be for Basketball in Term 4.
It is no secret that school sport in 2020 has taken a big hit and only lately has it been recommencing in the community. Last month, Year 12 student Katy Blackmore was presented with certificates from Jidokwan and Kukkiwan (International Taekwondo Associations) in recognition of grading to 2nd Dan Black belt. She has been involved in the sport of Taekwondo for a number of years as both a competitor and coach. Congratulations Katy in receiving these qualifications, particularly in a year where sport had come to a grinding halt. Your dedication to your chosen sport is to be commended and well done on continuing to coach the younger athletes involved in your club.
Katy is seen here receiving the certificates from her instructor and coach, Craig Drabsch of Reeves Taekwondo Greenbank.
September is a month of Visual Art Exhibitions! Throughout this month, some of our Senior Visual Art students will have their artworks displayed in public …
Throughout this month, some of our Senior Visual Art students will have their artworks displayed in public exhibitions. Artwaves is an annual exhibition of works selected from secondary schools in the Logan area, coordinated by and held at Logan Art Gallery. This year the exhibition will run from Friday 11 September until Saturday 17 October. The works that will be featured from Parklands this year include:
B. Mitchell, Society
Another upcoming annual event in the Art calendar is the Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art. This exhibition is a display of excellence for Year 11 and 12 students across the state, with regional exhibitions celebrating excellence in the area and a finalist exhibition at GOMA in 2021. This year the regional exhibitions will be digital. Student works entered from Parklands are:
Congratulations to all of our students, you have made some incredible work this year and it’s wonderful that your creative endeavours are being shared publically! There is also another opportunity to celebrate creative talent coming up – the Movements of Life Art Prize & exhibition, which was originally planned to coincide with the school Fete. Submission of works are due by the 18th of September – we are looking forward to receiving your entries in the Art Room or at Student Services. For more information, contact Sr Monique Singh msingh@parklands.qld.edu.au
Congratulations! Year 11 Business Certificate III Business RUOK day event!
RU OK? is an Australian non-profit suicide prevention organisation, founded by advertiser Gavin Larkin in 2009. It revolves around the slogan “R U OK?”, and advocates for people to have conversations with others. The Year 11 is Certificate lll Business class has supported the RUOK day event for their project over two terms by hosting a barbecue and a yellow on uniform event. The event raised over $700 to support the R U OK? Foundation.
As a group, we felt it was important to raise awareness for mental health and wellbeing among our school community. The event was very successful. A competition was held for the best-dressed teacher and the winners of the competition were Mrs Ross and Mrs Crook. The class that raised the most amount of money by wearing yellow with their uniform was 7B with the support of Mrs Thompson.
The Year 11 Certificate lll Business class would like to thank the teachers and our school community for their support. We would especially like to thank Mrs Furlonger and the hospitality team for their work in conjunction with our team by selling scrolls , Mrs Muller for helping the team with the decorations and the BBQ, Mrs Wallis for supporting the team with the Barbeque, Mrs Hollyer who assisted us behind the scenes, and Mr Paolino for guiding us the through the risk assessment for running a barbeque.
Year 11 Certificate lll Business students and Mrs Janelle Hughes.
Does your child experience difficulties in any of the following areas?
If so it may be the result of an underlying speech and language difficulty. Speech Pathologists study, diagnose and treat communication disorders, including difficulties with speaking, listening, understanding language, reading, writing, social skills, stuttering and using voice. Speech Pathologists assess and provide life improving treatment, support and care.
Michelle Sparg is an independent, mobile private certified practicing speech-Language Pathologist with 24 years of generalised and highly specialist experience having worked with Kindy, Primary and Secondary Students.
Michelle Sparg, a certified practicing Speech-Language Pathologist, is in her 9th year of working successfully at our school alongside students, parents, teachers and learning support staff to maximise learning potential within the classroom.
For further information on this highly valued service currently offered at our College, please contact Michelle Sparg on sparg4@bigpond.com or 0435492716.
Car Parks Thanks you for the wonderful support and way all parents are using the Rosia Rd car park and Drop Off Zones. The process …
Thanks you for the wonderful support and way all parents are using the Rosia Rd car park and Drop Off Zones. The process really is working well! Can I please ask that parents inform all other guardians/grandparents/siblings etc. of our process below (especially point 4)?
1 – Slow down and drive very carefully through the car parks
2 – Be very aware of the Pedestrian Crossing and ‘Lollipop Lady’ on duty
3 – Only cross at the Pedestrian Crossing and not up near the Gr 5 & 6 classes and top gate.
4 – “GO TO THE TOP TO DROP” on entering the Rosia Rd drop off area, please move up to the very last open bay you encounter to pull in. This will allow others arriving after you to have an open bay behind you.
Thank you for your support, cooperation and assistance to keep this all running smoothly and our students safe and sound!
In wishing to offer our senior Primary students every opportunity to use technology in class to assist with and improve their learning, we will continue to allow the Grade 5 and 6 students to make use of or bring iPads to school next year. This follows on with the trend in education to promote eLearning and the use of modern electronic devices in senior Primary.
We will continue to promote handwriting, fine motor skills, cutting out, colouring in and written work in Prep to Grade 6! Feedback from staff, parents and the Gr 5 & 6 students about iPad use has been very positive.
Parents, IF your child has an iPad 2, 3, & 4 it’s possibly time to consider giving them a new iPad for Christmas, or at least factor in an upgrade some time over the next 12 months, this way you’re not forking out a lot of money in one hit for multiple siblings if the iPad becomes outdated and cannot be upgraded for school use!
We have organized an iPad Informative Parent Evening on Tuesday 13th October where questions about iPad selection, process, security, resources, Apps, class use etc. will all be answered. Look forward to seeing the Yr. 4 and new Yr. 5&6 parents in attendance on the night.
While there are concerns about the negative impact of physical isolation is having on children’s learning, we should also be concerned about their mental health. Teachers and health professionals report that the strain of physical isolation is starting to show for many children and young people. Any anxiety and fear they experience is heightened by isolation from friends, lack of access to their usual sports and leisure activities and a lack of certainty about the future.
In these challenging times kids’ mental health needs to be a high priority. The following plan laid out by the experts at Parenting Ideas will show you how to lay a solid foundation for good mental health, and outline key behaviours that will help build the resilience and psychological strength that kids need in these difficult times.
A healthy diet, plenty of exercise and good sleep patterns are basic to good physical and mental health. Get the foundations right and you establish optimum conditions for your child to flourish even in difficult circumstances.
The ‘healthy body, healthy mind’ mantra that we grew up with needs to be updated to ‘healthy gut, healthy brain’. Recent research has revealed the links between a child’s gut health and good mental health. Kids who experience anxiety and depression typically have imbalances of adrenaline (which keeps the brain alert) and GABA (which calms the brain down), that can be rectified with good gut health.
A framework for healthy eating includes eating real rather than processed foods, consuming small and regular meals, starting each day with protein and complex carbs, drinking plenty of water and keeping kids away from caffeinated drinks.
Exercise not only promotes good mental health. It’s also a tool that kids can use to manage their mental states. Exercise and movement send endorphins through their bodies improving mood and relieving tension and stress. Exercise and movement relaxes the muscles and reduces feelings of anxiety that build up over time.
A framework for exercise includes starting the day with some movement, taking regular movement and game breaks, finishing the school day with movement that gets their limbs moving and hearts pumping.
The benefits of good sleep patterns are immense and far-reaching, impacting kids’ learning, memory and emotional stability. Sleep restores the brain to optimum conditions and rejuvenates the body, allowing hormone levels elevated during the day to return to normal. Consequently, sleep-deprived kids experience greater anxiety doing routine tasks and have a propensity for pessimistic thinking, which is associated with anxiety and depression.
A framework for good sleep patterns includes finding an optimum bedtime; creating a regular, relaxing routine, eating and exercising at the right time, creating a sleep sanctuary and getting up at regular times each day.
Mental health is complex and is impacted by many factors including a child’s social and emotional wellbeing. The following four pillars have an insulating effect on your child’s mental health, acting as circuit-breakers when life becomes difficult and complex.
As social beings we long for connection to others and a sense of belonging to groups. While time alone can be restorative, sharing experiences, thoughts and stories with others is absolutely essential to your child’s happiness and wellbeing.
A framework for social connection includes one-on-one time with family members and other loved ones, having shared family experiences to confirm a sense of belonging, having shared time and experiences with peers from school and the neighbourhood, and a connection with the broader community through shared experience, cause or goal.
The human mind is restless, taking us all over the place. It can make us feel happy recalling memories of loved ones or happy times and it can also drive insecurity connecting us to events in the past or future that fill us with dread, and make us feel anxious. Kids’ wandering minds need to take a rest and settle in the present, stopping their mental chatter, giving them the chance relax. Mindfulness is an essential mental health tool that enables children to keep their minds in the present moment, allowing them to feel safe and secure.
A mindfulness framework includes regular mindfulness exercises, doing one thing at a time, using mindfulness during an anxious moment, practising self-kindness and forgiveness.
The term ‘child’s play’ is demeaning to children and dismissive of the place of play in our lives. Play is absolutely critical to our happiness and wellbeing. Borrowing from the work of Dr. Brene Brown, play is defined as any activity that’s fun (therefore highly anticipated), free (that is, self-directed) and involves flow (we don’t want it to stop). Play helps kids manage anxiety and depression as it lifts their mood and is therapeutic by nature.
A play framework includes space and time for play, child-initiated activities, a mix of lone play and group activity, and some social or physical risk may be involved.
Recent studies highlight what we already knew – that time spent in natural environments benefits our happiness, our sense of wellbeing and reduces stress and tension. The rejuvenating benefits of time spent in the bush or by the sea may be difficult to acquire during times of physical isolation but walks to the park, spending time under a favourite tree or even bringing some green shrubs inside have proven to be just as beneficial to children’s mental health.
A time in nature framework includes management and reduction of screen time, exposure to natural environments in the neighbourhood, bringing the outdoors inside, and spending some time each day outdoors.
Our daily habits contribute to our wellbeing and mental health. Some habits such as spending too much time in front of a screen may be detrimental. There are a number of behaviours, when practised continuously, build our resilience and resistance to daily difficulties. These include:
Routine behaviours such as waking at the same time, having breakfast, exercising, showering and dressing get us ready for the day ahead. They underpin productivity, learning and wellbeing. Remove the structure provided by these foundation behaviours and many children and young people struggle, particularly those who are prone to anxiety and depression.
A foundation behaviour framework includes morning routines and rituals to prepare for the day, after school and evening wind down routines, and routines that prepare children for sleep.
Recognition of the benefits of deep breathing dates back to ancient Roman and Greek times when deep belly breathing was used to rid the body of impurities. Modern science informs us that deep breathing instantly engages our capacity to relax and stay calm. When a child becomes anxious or fearful their breathing becomes shallow. Taking deep, slow breaths when they become overwhelmed by anxiety is the quickest way to return to a calm state. Deep breathing has great preventative powers helping the mind stay in a state of focus and calm.
A deep breathing framework includes practising deep breathing spontaneously throughout the day, combining deep breathing with mindfulness practice, using deep breathing to restore energy when tired, and breathing deeply during an anxious moment.
If children and young people are not tuning into their emotions they are missing a rich vein of information that will assist decision-making, learning and importantly, their wellbeing. It’s relatively easy to tune to into behaviour and our thoughts, but much harder to detect our emotions. The skill of emotionally checking in, developed by Prof. Marc Brackett from the Yale Centre for Emotional Intelligence, helps children and young people to identify how they are feeling at any given time. It requires kids to stand still, close their eyes, take some deep breaths, identify and give a name to their feeling. This simple habit of checking, once practised and learned is a wonderful life skill to acquire.
Looking after your child’s mental health may seems like a mystery at times. But there is a great deal we can do. By laying a foundation for good general health and then working at maintaining the pillars of mental health and teaching kids the protective mental health behaviours you provide them with a solid framework for maintenance of good mental health that they can take into adulthood.
Quarantine Reflections – COVID-19 at Parklands Christian College As I was leaving a pretty relaxed few days of the annual Associated Christian School’s Conference, I …
As I was leaving a pretty relaxed few days of the annual Associated Christian School’s Conference, I took a call from my cleaning manager. I took the call expecting nothing more than a benign request for more equipment or supplies in what was a busy season for our cleaning staff. Little did I know, that her call would send our school community into an unprecedented time of disruption and uncertainty, and put our humble little school on the map for unexpected reasons.
My first year as a Principal wasn’t the auspicious start to the leadership of Parklands Christian College that I thought it might be. I had visions of connecting with my school community, and forming genuine and long lasting relationships with staff, parents and community groups. I looked forward to running fetes, barbeques, attending sports carnivals, and participating in all the usual events that built community and enriched education. I had left Parklands in 2016 after being part of its foundational team and spending 14 wonderful years building the school. In late 2016, my wife Hannah and I (and our three children), were invited to serve as missionaries in the Philippines working with young women with tragic backgrounds. Upon our return to Australia in November of 2019, I was looking forward to re-entering Aussie life and getting back into my beloved craft of education. Little did I know…
I listened to our slightly nervous cleaning manager tell me that one of her staff had recently returned from interstate travel. Upon learning this, she insisted that this staff member be tested for COVID-19 before returning to work. This moment of good leadership and clear thinking from our cleaning manager probably saved our community and indeed our state from wider exposure to COVID-19. The staff member was tested and her result was positive, and we were probably going to be on the news.
My cleaning manager and I ended the phone call calmly enough, she was to ring Queensland Health, and I was to…what was on that disaster management plan? I can’t remember who I called first, but somewhere in the next 45 minutes, I had called the Parklands Executive, our Board and key staff, Independent Schools Queensland, Associated Christian Schools and my wife. With every conversation it slowly dawned on me that this was going to be serious, and that I wasn’t going to be able to deal with this tomorrow.
Upon my return to work, our Executive devised a plan based on the advice from Independent Schools Queensland and the now regular conversations with Queensland Health. Initially the decision was to simply quarantine those few staff that had been in direct contact with the infected staff member, and that an announcement to our community could wait until the next day. Unfortunately, at the very same time these discussions were taking place, staff were hosting a trade information evening with dozens of parents and students on site, and we needed to ask them to leave. Minutes after we cancelled this event and asked parents to leave because we had discovered COVID-19 in our community, the emails and calls started flooding in.
I felt for the Queensland Health staff on the phone, I really did. They weren’t just discovering a single Queenslander was infected, they were coming to grips with COVID-19 in a school community of 734 students, 130+ staff and almost 400 families, contractors, relief staff and visitors. The implications were staggering and decisions they made in the first few hours were going to be in the public forum almost immediately. Although the contact of the infected staff member with our community was extremely low, and the likelihood of exposure to the virus was unlikely, the decision was made to not only quarantine the few staff with direct contact, but also to close the school. By 11:30pm that first evening, we had our immediate instructions, produced an initial account of the events leading to this point, emailed staff and families, and I had drafted a media statement that I knew that I would need the following day.
Over the course of the night, the unofficial versions of what was going on at Parklands started to flow. The speculation on social media was something to behold, from both our school community and the wider community in general. Speculation soon turned to accusation, as people sought to understand what they were reading on social media. My wife insisted that I avoid reading anything on Facebook, and I took this advice and still know very little of what was posted in those early days.
The next morning I got up early and turned on the television, and was horrified to see a Channel 7 News reporter standing in the dark out the front of our school. As I arrived at school an hour later, dressed ready to face the media and armed with last night’s draft media statement, I met my Heads of School and a few key staff and refined our plan, edited our media statement and gave my first press conference at 9:00am. The press were actually very nice, and set my mind at ease. I think they could tell I was nervous. After reading my statement, I took questions. I found the experience quite good, and didn’t feel ambushed or taken by surprise. I thank God for all those media training courses I attended that I didn’t think I would ever need!
In the first 48 hours, as we were closing our school and preparing for quarantine, we thought we should get on the phone lines and answer the never ending calls coming in through our main line, after all, parents could be calling asking for help or clarification right? However, many of the calls came from outside of our school community, and we realised that there was little to be gained by fielding the many inquiries and requests from the general public. After taking these type of calls for a little over an hour, we closed our phone lines and shut down our Facebook site. Ironically, during this time we actually received 2 enrolment inquiries after parents had seen us on the news.
The next week was a blur of events that saw our community go from a simple school closure, to a school wide quarantine for all students and staff. I worked closely with the Metro South Public Health Unit from home, while our Senior Pastor, who is also on our school board, looked after our site due to his absence from our site during the period of exposure. I worked with a small team of staff and maintained lines of communication with our community via email and SMS, while the Executive Team rolled out our Online Learning platform, PCC@Home and generally kept the school running. I found myself up until midnight most nights drafting and re-drafting emails to parents as we released communications from Public Health to our parents and staff. Public Health and Parklands soon developed a rhythm of working together closely to provide up to date information about the conditions of quarantine and testing.
I am a big believer that good, regular communication keeps people reassured and feeling informed, and in general our community did feel informed. However, people had a lot of questions, and unfortunately some information from Public Health changed during the course of our quarantine. Over the weekend of our quarantine, Public Health announced that all staff and students had to be retested from day 10. The weekend of this announcement was probably my busiest since the crisis began, and my little team were swamped with emails. My team agreed on our responses, aligned our information and consistently and graciously replied to almost every concern and comment.
The only communications that came to me were the tricky ones. Some families really struggled to have their children retested, after all COVID-19 testing is not the most pleasant of experiences. In high stress times, people need someone to talk to, and fortunately the school was able to offer that service, albeit via email. We had countless emails asking good questions from concerned parents, and while we couldn’t offer the expertise of 13 HEALTH, we could certainly empathise with the difficult circumstances.
As quarantine progressed, and people resigned themselves to the inconvenience of staying home and isolating, the encouragement and thanks started to flood in from our school community, fellow schools, associations and friends. Our politicians gave us incredible support, and publically acknowledged the determination and courage of our community. We had our critics, but the wave of love I felt toward the end of our trial helped me to forget the difficulty, and reminded me why I love the Parklands community so much. One of my favourite gestures of appreciation was a delivery of doughnuts to my home. This simple gesture really touched me, not just because doughnuts are my favourite food, but because amongst the anxiety and stress everyone was feeling, people in my community still cared in a time when I felt very alone. Thank God for these thoughtful people in our lives who send encouraging emails, drawings, cards, gifts and texts!
We finished our time in quarantine by sending out gifts to those staff who took the brunt of the crisis, I thought this was the least I could do. We also sent gifts to the nurses who endured many days of conducting COVID-19 testing, and the Metro South Public Health Unit who I think of as my friends. We are forever grateful for the countless professionals that cared for us during this time. After this, we had a weekend to gather our thoughts before reopening the school on Monday 10th August. We made a big deal about our return from quarantine, and celebrated the reunification of our community.
Now that the media has gone, the critics have quietened and our students are back on site, we look forward to getting back to connecting with students and their families. We now set our sights to finishing Term 3, and making the best of a much disrupted 2020. I have a renewed empathy for Victorian Schools and the challenges they face as they endure extended periods of disruption and isolation, and pray for their swift return to normality, health and safety. I truly count my blessings and consider our community fortunate that no new cases of COVID-19 appeared in our community, and that God looked after us during our time of fear and uncertainty.
Galatians 25-26 Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.
Gary Cully
Year 1 Hello to our wonderful families! Year 1 has been very busy learning in our classrooms over the last couple of months. We celebrated …
Hello to our wonderful families!
Year 1 has been very busy learning in our classrooms over the last couple of months.
We finished off our Science Unit about Chemical Changes. It was great doing experiments each week as we researched how materials change when heated or cooled.
During English activities we have been focussing on long vowel sounds and digraphs when learning about phonics and spelling. We have also been using our creative thinking when writing, using our daily writing prompts.
Mrs Clausen, Mrs Davis and Mrs Marsh
Year 6 have been exploring micro-organisms in Science this Term. The cohort experienced an underwater themed escape room in the High School Science laboratories where they had to crack the codes and find the Colossal Squid.
They have also been conducting their own experiments where they had to gather data and evidence that supports their aim of finding what conditions are needed for mould spores to flourish.
In English and Geography the students are investigating different countries in Asia and creating interesting and comparative information reports. Students have used their technology skills to present their findings in a website or Google Slides.
Despite all the challenges of the year, the students have shown resilience and growth in their learning. We can’t wait to see what they can do next!
Does your child experience difficulties in any of the following areas?
If so it may be the result of an underlying speech and language difficulty. Speech Pathologists study, diagnose and treat communication disorders, including difficulties with speaking, listening, understanding language, reading, writing, social skills, stuttering and using voice. Speech Pathologists assess and provide life improving treatment, support and care.
Michelle Sparg is an independent, mobile private certified practicing speech-Language Pathologist with 24 years of generalised and highly specialist experience having worked with Kindy, Primary and Secondary Students.
Michelle Sparg, a certified practicing Speech-Language Pathologist, is in her 9th year of working successfully at our school alongside students, parents, teachers and learning support staff to maximise learning potential within the classroom.
For further information on this highly valued service currently offered at our College, please contact Michelle Sparg on sparg4@bigpond.com or 0435492716.
Fostering Connections This year has been a year of connection. Connection with families and loved ones over Zoom, maintaining a work connection and working online, …
This year has been a year of connection.
Connection with families and loved ones over Zoom, maintaining a work connection and working online, churches have been having online services and small group ministries for months online, our busy social lives have moved to online meet up and Zoom barbeques and let’s not forget completing university, TAFE and school online.
This year has really solidified to me the importance of connection.
I have been talking to the year 7’s about the importance of maintaining connection with peers, school and self this year.
As I sit at my desk after returning from a very rambunctious class of Year 7 English I realise, again, that Year 7’s love connecting with their peers. In a simple activity of researching the plurals to words such as scissor, synagogue, thesis, bacteria and radius my beloved Year 7’s found a way to invent a rap song and my classroom hosted an epic rap battle between students. Even a simple handwriting activity can turn into a class debate about whether the song by Leona Lewis is ‘Bleeding Love’ or “Breathing Love’. Teenagers love forming connections with one another and seek opportunities to do so as often as they can.
I am reminded that whist our teenagers now seek connections over Tik Tok, Snap Chat and Messenger, I was writing letters and elaborately folding them into intricate secret envelopes and writing ‘for your eyes only’ on them to my friends in the 90’s. The medium, amount of time and intensity of teenager connection might have changed, but our kids are still seeking connection with peers.
I encourage you to take the time to speak to your teen about how you use to connect with your friends in your high school days, acknowledge their want for connection and set boundaries together around time mediums used and time spent connecting. I remember my mother being quite firm on the time I was allowed on the telephone calling my friends after school.
I have spent a lot of time this year reading professional journals, blogs, joining Facebook groups and talking with my colleagues about how teachers can maintain connection with their students during lockdown and teaching online.
Teachers have been reaching out and building connections with their students and classes over Google Classroom, Google Meets, emails, gifs, memes and videos. We know our students want to build connection and be connected with their classes and teachers have been working so hard to keep our kids connected and working.
How can we encourage students to build their own connections independently though?
Classroom teachers really help the Year 7’s manage this by breaking our assessment into smaller parts. The current Geography task is broken into 4 distinct parts and students have turn in / check point dates for each part. This breaking down of a larger task into its smaller parts is such an important skill and one that adults do automatically, but children and especially teenagers need assistance managing.
It’s hard being a teenager today.
I have had many conversations with students about how they struggle to disconnect from the world and find moments to be still. As a music teacher I love to teach about the importance of silence and that a moment’s pause can be make a piece of music so much better and completely transform the composition. I particularly love Silelius’ Symphony No.5 – III Finale, Gustav Mahler – Symphony No. 9, Thirty Merc’s ‘My Completeness’ and Franz Schubert’s ‘Erlkӧnig.
During Year 7 Pastoral Care we focus on resilience, adjusting to Secondary School and how to be comfortable with yourself. Some ways to encourage your teen to be comfortable with themselves is to talk with them about:
During Week 6 the Year 7’s were blessed to have the Year 10 PC classes organise activities around the issue of Surviving High school and Resilience. The senior students facilitated group discussions, offering friendship and advice on topics including social media, homework, assignments, friendships, time management and what it means to be a PCC student.
Miss Abby Dixon, the Year 10 Coordinator, and the Year 10’s did a fabulous job and the Year 7’s are so grateful that the seniors chose to spend some time with us and impart their wisdom.
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17
Parklands Outside School Hours Care is now taking bookings for the upcoming September/October vacation care. If you would like a booking form or copy of …
If you would like a booking form or copy of the program please contact Miss Rachel via email or phone at: parklandsbookings@bigpond.com, 3297 0577 or pop on down to the service (situated in the prep area).
Parklands Outside School Hours Care is situated within the school grounds of Parklands Christian College in the Prep Building Area. The service operates for before school, after school and vacation care. Before and after school care offers a nutritious breakfast/afternoon tea and children are able to engage in a variety of activities based on their interests.
During the school term the service operates from 6:30-8:30am and 3:00-6:00pm (with office staff available from 2pm), and vacation care from 6:30am-6:00pm. Parklands OSHC have qualified educators and encourage parents and families to pop into the service to discuss any care needs, suggestions or ideas or alternatively via phone 3297 0577 or email: parklandsbookings@bigpond.com.
We currently have limited spots available for before and after school care and advise families that a current 2020 enrolment is required to accept all bookings including emergency care bookings.
We look forward to assisting with all your care needs.
Earlier this year, the college nominated Sarah as School Apprentice of the Year in the prestigious 2020 Queensland Training Awards. Each year, hundreds of school-based apprentices …
Earlier this year, the college nominated Sarah as School Apprentice of the Year in the prestigious 2020 Queensland Training Awards. Each year, hundreds of school-based apprentices from around the State are nominated in these Awards and it is my absolute pleasure to announce that Sarah is a finalist in her category for the Metropolitan Region.
For most of her senior schooling, Sarah has had an interest in pursuing a trade based (diesel fitting) apprenticeship. After participating in various work placements in this industry, Sarah secured a mechanical fitting apprenticeship in year 11. A school based apprenticeship is not an easy path to juggle. Students must miss one or two days of school to attend work, all the while keeping up with their school and Tafe assessments. Of special note is Sarah’s strength of character to pursue a position in a (mostly) male dominated industry and I commend her on being a role model to her peers for pursuing her passions and working hard to achieve success in her chosen field . Much appreciation also goes to her employer Mendham Engineering for providing this opportunity especially during this challenging time of Covid-19 and to Sarah’s teachers and trade facilitators, student aides, and her family for supporting Sarah’s pathways and study pursuits.
Sarah will now take part in the Queensland Training Awards judging process which includes an interview with the judging panel and reflection on her trade pathway and working life in general.
Please join me in congratulating Sarah on this special achievement and we wish her all the best for the finals which are set for 10th September.
Young people are facing an employment crisis and their mental health is being affected by the concerns there won’t be enough jobs for them in the future.
The Skillsroad 2020 COVID-19 Youth Review has found the biggest issue facing Australians aged 15 to 24 is mental health, as many feel “isolated, unsafe and need better tools to navigate their rapidly changing world”. Now more than ever young Australian’s need relevant, practical career-related advice, resources and support.
Read more here: bit.ly/YouthSurveySnaps
What a challenging term it has been! Despite the disruption of this term, students are continuing to enjoy their musical activities & we are still …
What a challenging term it has been! Despite the disruption of this term, students are continuing to enjoy their musical activities & we are still looking ahead & making plans to grow our programme in 2021 & beyond. We have finally launched our Give It A Go! Band for this year, appropriately distanced, and the students are having a great time together.
All music lessons are continuing face-to-face on campus. Please be assured that appropriate cleaning & distancing measures are in place. Students will be using their own instruments and it is the responsibility of students & parents to clean their equipment before & after home practice, lessons & rehearsals. For piano students, the piano is carefully cleaned between every lesson, as well as at the beginning & end of the day. Percussion students must bring their own sticks & mallets. Lesson timetables can be found on Mrs Patane’s window, or on the Instrumental Music website through the Secondary Directory.
Ensemble rehearsals have all re-commenced, as this is an integral & fun part of learning & playing music. As most of our Ensembles are quite small in number, we have sufficient space for appropriate distancing & will take all steps to ensure this is maintained. We also have a cleaning regime in place that the students are getting used to, so it’s great for the students to still be able to play & sing together safely. Details for weekly rehearsals are as follows:
Wind Ensemble: Wednesday 7:30am in Mrs Patane’s Music Room
Give It A Go Band: Wednesday 7:30am in the Student Services Function Room
Primary Junior Choir: Thursday 7:50am in Mrs Patane’s Music Room
Primary Senior Choir: Tuesday 2:30pm in Mrs Patane’s Music Room
Secondary Choir: Friday 7:30am in S1
While live performance opportunities are still not possible, we’re definitely putting creative thought into other ways of sharing performances with the College family.
It’s never too late to be part of our growing Instrumental Programme – here’s how your child can be involved:
This is a one year beginner programme for Year 4 students, giving them the opportunity to learn a woodwind, brass or percussion instrument in small groups during school time. The next Give It A Go! intake will be in 2021 – Year 3 students will be hearing about this very soon!
Private lessons are available for piano, guitar, drum kit, most woodwind & and all brass & stringed instruments. Lessons are scheduled mostly during school time, & fees are billed by & payable directly to the instrumental teachers at $30/30mins.
Shared lessons are available for all of the above instruments except piano. Lessons are again scheduled mostly during school time, & fees are also billed by & payable directly to the instrumental teachers at $18/30mins for a Group of 2 or $14/30mins for a Group of 3, pending availability.
Enrolment forms are available for download below, or by emailing instruments@parklands.qld.edu.au
__PCC Music Department Guidelines with form
School Days only For further information please contact Michelle Secretan Phone: (07) 3380 4256 Mobile: 0412 917 299 Email: uniforms@parklands.qld.edu.au Second Hand Uniforms available CASH ONLY …
| Monday | 8.00am - 10.00am |
| Tuesday | 2.00pm - 4.00pm |
| Thursday | 2.00pm - 4.00pm |
School Days only
For further information please contact Michelle Secretan
Phone: (07) 3380 4256
Mobile: 0412 917 299
Email: uniforms@parklands.qld.edu.au
Second Hand Uniforms available CASH ONLY (no refund or exchange)
For Second Hand Uniform Enquiries please email Alisha Mane amane@parklands.qld.edu.au
Also check our FB page for updates…
Uniform Shop Facebook Page
School Bus Passes for Westside Bus Company and Park Ridge Transit Students who have a bus pass for travel will be required to obtain a …
School Bus Passes for Westside Bus Company and Park Ridge Transit
Students who have a bus pass for travel will be required to obtain a new pass for the 2020 school year. If you are changing schools in 2020 (this includes moving to grade 7) or address you will need to contact our reception on (07) 3802 1233 and we will advise you of how to update your details. To avoid delays in receiving your pass we kindly request that you contact us prior to the end of the school year.
If you have no changes to your details, you will receive your new bus pass in the mail in early January.
Please note that there are limited reception facilities available at our Redbank depot and you should call before attending the depot as we maybe able to assist over the phone.
Bus Routes for Parklands
Please find attached all of the Bus routes, that have been made available to Parklands families.
Bus Queensland now offer 3 pick ups in the afternoon outside Prep with various routes.
- Departing 3:22pm
- Departing 3:31pm
- Departing 3:45pm
As this is a service offered by Bus Queensland (not PCC) please direct all further enquires to Bus Queensland on 3802 1233 or email customers@busqld.com.au
School Transport Assistance Scheme The Queensland Government offers financial assistance to parents of both state and non-state school students travelling to and from school daily …
The Queensland Government offers financial assistance to parents of both state and non-state school students travelling to and from school daily by private arrangement. This is known as STAS (School Transport Assistance Scheme).
Please phone the Gold Coast office on 5630 8857 to clarify your eligibility. Alternatively you can visit their website http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/schooltransport
School Fees Are deducted from your bank account on the 17th unless received by the 10th of each month. Please ensure funds are in your …
Are deducted from your bank account on the 17th unless received by the 10th of each month.
Please ensure funds are in your account one (1) business day before the 17th of the month.
Our Bank Account details are as follows:
BSB: 034115
Account Number: 169944
Please use your surname and initials as reference e.g. ‘J&C Smith’
Note: Direct Debits that reject from your account due to insufficient funds will incur a $10.00 fee and loss of discount. An additional late fee of $20 will apply to invoices outstanding at the end of the month.
Tuckshop in need of volunteers There is an opportunity for parents to contribute to the life of the school by volunteering their time in the …
There is an opportunity for parents to contribute to the life of the school by volunteering their time in the tuckshop.
The tuckshop has been growing since moving to the new facility and with growth in sales we would really love your help!
/PCCUniforms
