In this issue

Greetings and a warm welcome to the last newsletter for this term. Thank you for your support and involvement in making Term One amazing! This term has been filled with fun and meaningful learning opportunities, as well as some recent unexpected news. Thank you all for your support as we move towards the completion of the exciting Primary and Prep Precinct. Didn’t our students do an amazing job sharing the latest news update? I sincerely thank our college staff who have worked tirelessly in partnership with families to provide the best possible education for every student.

Happy Easter

Students in Prep to Year 6 have taken time to reflect on the true meaning of Easter. They have shared this message with the elderly at five local nursing homes though the creation of Easter cards. Personally delivered by Mrs Armanasco, Mrs Potts and four year six students, these cards were gratefully received. For some people, Easter is about the Easter bunny, chocolate and family get togethers. For others, Easter is the time to celebrate Jesus’s death, burial and resurrection. For many, Easter, like Christmas, is celebrated as a combination of the secular and sacred.  Understanding Easter from a Christian perspective is important because without the belief of Jesus’s death, burial and resurrection, there is no Christianity and no Christian Easter. I encourage all in our community to take time to consider the tremendous sacrifice Jesus made for our salvation and the hope this brings. If you are looking for somewhere to pause and reflect, I encourage you to join the Parklands Church congregation on Good Friday at 9am and again on Easter Sunday at 10am.

Learning Outside the Classroom

“If you never did
You should.
These things are fun.
And fun is good.”

In One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Dr Suess encourages us to try new things – we might find them fun! God created us all as individuals, with unique gifts and talents. At Parklands we seek to provide a variety of opportunities for students to discover and explore their God given gifts.  A special mention to Zayden, Olivia, Lachlan and Layal who came third in the Just Dance component of the FUSE Cup. Congratulations also to Olivia Hyde, our College Captain, who was awarded the MVP for the day.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Effective relationships are the key ingredient to maintaining long and strong partnerships as your children journey through their schooling at Parklands.  Parent teacher interviews are scheduled for after school on Thursday 27 April and information on how to sign up for a time slot will be emailed in the holidays. I encourage you to take the opportunity to talk to your children’s teachers face to face.

Term 2 Reminders

• No after school play
• Prep end of day 2:50pm
  • Park in the car park and collect from the grassed collect and go area; or use the collect and go system
• Primary end of day 3:00pm
  • Park in the car park and collect from the classroom or grassed collect and go area; or use the collect and go system

Term 2 Date Claimers

• Monday 17 April – Term 2 commences
• Friday 21 April – Prep and Year 5 Move n Groove Specialist Spectacular
• Monday 24 April – Prep and Year 5 Incredible Incursions
• Monday 24 April – ANZAC day service (years 1-12)
• Monday 24 April – Year 4 Day camp
• Monday 24 April to Monday 8 May – Premiere’s reading challenge
• Saturday 20 May – College Fete
• Wednesday 24 May – National Simultaneous Storytime
• Monday evenings 8 May to 5 June – Loving Kids on Purpose Parent Program
• Friday 16 June – Last day of Term – Free dress day
• Monday 19 June to Friday 23 June – Staff Professional Development Week

Warmest Easter Blessings to All,

Anne-Maree
akingston@parklands.qld.edu.au

Let’s Talk Neuroscience!

What does neuroscience have to do with wellbeing? Everything! Our brains are constantly being shaped through a process called neuroplasticity. We can engage with this process with intention, shaping our minds and allowing for strengthening and change.

In the PCC wellbeing space, we use neuroscience a lot, engaging with students around their thought patterns, physiological responses to fear, choices, self-talk and emotional regulation. By being intentional with our mind and its patterns, we can rewire our brains and re-route our neural pathways. It is amazing how much power our thoughts have over our emotions, behaviour and physical bodies – all of which are tools through which we communicate to ourselves and others. Our internal landscape impacts our external landscapes.

As part of both our wellbeing and behaviour processes at PCC, we engage the students in practices of reflection and learning about these internal systems and how they impact on their behavioural choices and their mental health. We encourage and teach strategies that help the brain to slow down, to reconsider the ‘threat’ that is causing a physiological response and engage with the parts of the brain that are firing unhelpful responses. Studies show that better self-regulation predicts both better wellbeing and better academic performance during child and adolescent development.

As parents we have the same capacity to understand, strengthen and rewire our neural pathways, internal processes and physiological responses. We encourage you and your child to look at this part of your lives together, to discover the helpful or harmful thought processes we experience, the internal systems and dialogue that impacts our responses and discover the wonderful capacity of our brains to change course, to be challenged and to learn!

Series of the month

Limitless with Chris Hemsworth (Rating: PG) – Disney

As a team, some of us have started to watch the below TV series on Disney. Chris Hemsworth and his team of professionals look at the limits of our brain and body in staying healthy and maintaining longevity. They look at how we can challenge parts of our brain and body in new and challenging experiences. It is very interesting and might be a good chance to watch something as a family and initiate some healthy discussion!

“New scientific research is shattering conventional wisdom about the human body and offering fascinating insights into how we can all unlock our body’s superpowers to fight illness, perform better, and even reverse the aging process. This science is put to the test by Hemsworth, who, despite in peak superhero condition, is on a personal mission to learn how to extend our health, strength, and intellect further into our later years. Undergoing a series of epic trials and extraordinary challenges in order to understand the limits of the human body, he’ll learn firsthand how we can live better for longer by discovering ways to regenerate damage, maximize strength, build resilience, supercharge memory, and confront morality.”

Cross Country

In an exhilarating display of athleticism and sportsmanship, students from Joshua and Samuel Houses gathered at the school’s Cross Country Sports Carnival on a scorching hot day. The atmosphere was electric as the students prepared to run, jog, and sprint across the grueling terrain. Team spirit was evident on the day with the students dressing up to support their houses, and even the teachers decorating their checkpoints to show their full support to the ongoing house competition.

With both houses fiercely competitive, the event was a closely contested battle throughout. Whether it was on the track or through the ever popular Tug of War competition the students were putting their best efforts on display. But in the end, it was Joshua House that emerged victorious, 597 Points over Samuel’s 529.

Thank you to the efforts from all the students, however you contributed to the day, it makes for a fun competition and helps build school spirit.

Congratulations to our age champions from 9-18yrs

Fuse Cup

On Tuesday 28th the first group of 12 students from Years 5-8 went to compete in The FUSE Cup. The students participated in the Just Dance component of the esports competition. Arranged into three teams, the students danced their hearts out in a full day of heats, semi-finals and finals. Team 3 comprised of Zayden, Olivia, Lachlan and Layla made it to the finals and came third. Special mention to Olivia Hyde who was awarded the MVP for the day. Congratulations to all the students on a fantastic day of competition.

USL TEAMS

Secondary

For USL this term we have had teams compete in futsal and touch. In most touch divisions it was a best of 3 series with the Intermediate girls and Senior boys winning their respective divisions. The Senior girls had their chance to win their final against BCC, leading 2-1 at half time but couldn’t hold on, going down 2-5 to finish runners up. Our junior boys and girls showed great improvement throughout the term with their fitness and understanding of the game itself. Well done to all for a great touch season.

Primary

USL season wrapped up this week in futsal and touch. Primary boys won the Futsal competition beating St Philomena 7-2 in a convincing game. Our Parklands Red Touch team finished 3rd beating Boronia 8-5 in the playoff match. Well done to all coaches and players for a great season, there has been phenomenal improvement across the board with many students playing competitive sport for the first time. Congratulations on an outstanding season.

CSSAQ Swimming

With the introduction of the Parklands Swim Squad, we have seen some great results from this year’s CSSAQ carnival.  We would like to acknowledge all the hard work put in by our coaches, Zoe and Humberto, and the dedication shown by our Parklands Swim Team.

We finished the season with some great individual, and team results of 3rd in the 9-12yrs percentage trophy. Well done to all the Age Champion recipients and to all the students for your efforts on the day.

CSSAQ Futsal

Parklands competed in the CSSAQ Futsal competition for the first time. This is a new event that has been added to the sporting calendar, and it was great to see the representation across 4 teams. The teams couldn’t snag a win on the day, but that didn’t deter their efforts. Students displayed resilience during the carnival, and always put their best foot forward while upholding a great competitive attitude. Well done to Charlotte Sulja and Tawana Mautambi for making the honorary CSSAQ Futsal All Stars Team.

Basketball friendly against Calamvale

Across March we have had the boy’s basketball teams go up against Calamvale for Friendly games. We started off with the open boys game, which ended in Parklands going down to Calamvale 38-67. Commendable effort to John Cyuzuzo for putting up a stat line of 17 points 2 assists and 2 rebounds.

Next, we had the Intermediate boy’s basketball team. They showed great intent throughout the game and outscored Calamvale in the final quarter, despite their best efforts they went down 40-58.  Finally, we had the Junior boys, putting forward a good effort, going down 58-20. All teams could not be faulted on their effort, these games are a great preparation for the upcoming USL Season in term 2. Well done to all.

CSSAQ Touch

Every year our school competes in the CSSAQ events across a multitude of sports. On Friday the 3rd we took 5 touch teams to Caboolture Touch Association to compete for the CSSAQ Championship. Our junior teams showed great improvement throughout the day with many of them playing touch for the first time. Our Intermediate girls came home with some wins and our Senior Teams experienced highs and lows throughout the carnival. The Senior Boys persevered through sickness and injury and competed to the end of the day. Our Senior Girls came ready for the big day as they went undefeated and took out the Championship over a spirited Citipointe 2-1 in the final.

All students have shown great commitment to learn, grow and improve their skill from day one this term. It was a spirited effort by all teams and we are extremely proud of how you played and carried the school values all day.

Special mention to Gracie Dencher, Tayzha Timu, Hayley Janson, Justin Hunt and Levi Harbourn who made the honorary CSSAQ Touch All Star Team.

Easter Services

Hello all,

We have come to the end of the first term and time has certainly flown by quickly.

Firstly, thank you to all who volunteered and helped at the Cross Country BBQ.

We are excited about Term 2 and our College FETE.   We are hopeful that many of our parents will volunteer to help out with Fete.  Feel free to drop us an email if you are keen …. friendlies@parklandsqld.edu.au.

Have a blessed Easter break.

Allan Morris
Chairperson

Eph 5:18b-19 “Instead be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms & hymns & spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.”

Music continues to flourish in 2023! As we return to many pre-covid routines & activities, this year promises to be another year of growth & excitement in the Parklands Instrumental Music Programme as we welcome our new Give It A Go! students and encourage our existing students to continue to learn & grow. All our students are making great progress, & there has never been a better time to be involved with music at Parklands!

Soloist’s Soiree

We are preparing for our first Soloist’s Soiree for 2023! This is a short evening performance opportunity for students learning at the College to play for their families & friends, being held on Tuesday 9^th May at 6pm. Students are invited to register as a solo or a small group performance by email to instruments@parklands.qld.edu.au – we’re looking forward to a great night!

Lessons & Rehearsals

All instrumental lessons are continuing, including those in the Give It A Go! Programme. All Choir & Ensemble rehearsals are in full swing, with the Give It A Go! Band & Petite Strings groups getting ready to commence rehearsals in Term 2.

Ensemble & Choir rehearsal schedule from Term 2:

All Choirs are open to all students regardless of whether or not they’re having lessons, and no experience is necessary. We are particularly keen to have more students in our Secondary Choir, especially those who do music as a subject. For a small amount of time each week, just 1 hour, students will reap many benefits & have a great time.

The Give It A Go! Band & Petite Strings are generally reserved for students in the Give It A Go! Programme as they cater for beginner students, although other beginners may also join. Other wind, brass & percussion students having lessons at school will play in the Wind Ensemble, and other string students having lessons at the College will play in Andante Strings. Any other students who have lessons outside the College are also welcome to join the relevant ensemble!

Give It A Go! Band Programme

We’re excited to be working with our next group of Give It A Go! students this year, with the added bonus of String instruments being on offer this year for the first time! Lessons are underway, but if you or your child are interested in being a part of this programme, we are open to new enrolments at any time. Please see below for details.

Instruments on offer in the Give It A Go! Band Programme include:

–       Flute
–       Clarinet
–       Saxophone
–       Trumpet
–       Trombone
–       Euphonium
–       Percussion (includes drums, auxiliary & mallet percussion)
–       Violin **NEW!!**
–       Viola **NEW!!**
–       Cello **NEW!!**
–       Double Bass **NEW!!**

There are a number of ways to be part of our growing Instrumental Programme – here’s how your child can be involved:

1. Give It A Go! Band Programme – Year 4 students only

This is a one year beginner programme for Year 4 students, giving them the opportunity to learn a woodwind, brass, string or percussion instrument in small groups during school time. There is a one-off $400 levy for the year which covers all lessons & band rehearsals, a tuition book & use of a school instrument for one year. Many places for this are currently filled, however we do have a number of vacancies across most instruments. If your child is in Year 4 & would like to be involved, please contact us at instruments@parklands.qld.edu.au

2. Private lessons

Private lessons are available for piano, guitar, drum kit, voice, 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 $33/30mins.

3. Shared lessons

Shared lessons are available for all of the above instruments except piano, guitar & voice. Lessons are again scheduled mostly during school time, & fees are also billed by & payable directly to the instrumental teachers at $20/30mins for a Group of 2 or $15/30mins for a Group of 3, pending availability.

Enrolment forms can be downloaded below, and are also available by emailing instruments@parklands.qld.edu.au

02 PCC Instrumental Tuition Program guidelines and enrolment

Senior News

It has been wonderful to finish Term 1 working alongside senior students. Below, you will find some key information relating to Senior College.

Notifications

As Term 1 wraps up, teachers are busily grading assessments. Families can expect, at times, to receive behavioural notifications around academic progress which may be communicated for any of the following reasons:

• Positive student behaviours, aligned to our College values
• Absence concern
• Incomplete work
• Unsatisfactory result for summative assessment.

These communications are not punitive in nature, rather the goal is to be a supportive measure to assist students in achieving academic expectations and to fulfil their God given potential. The purpose is about clear communication and building a relationship that is one of transparency and trust. By being informed, we can best work in partnership with the school and families.

Parent-Teacher Interviews

Parent-teacher interviews are scheduled for Tuesday 2^nd May. These events are important for many reasons including getting to know your child’s teachers, seeing how your child is progressing, and talking through any plans about how teachers can further support and understand more about your child. We also value your child attending the interviews with you. Throughout next week you will receive an email from our Student Services staff with instructions on how to schedule appointments, through the Parent Portal.

Extra Support & Senior Packages

If your child is feeling unsure about their senior pathway or if you have any concerns with how your child is managing their senior load, please make a time to talk with us. We have a great team of supporters who can offer support.

At Parklands, we have four distinct Senior Packages, the Traditional Package, Academic Intensive Package, Workplace Practices Package, and the Life Ready Package. Each is designed to provide options with the goal of bringing success as your child prepares for work or further study after school.

There are various opportunities in Senior College and sometimes the most direct pathway from school to your child’s goal, can cause unhealthy levels of stress. We encourage you to reach out and talk with us if you think this would be beneficial to your child.

I look forward to seeing your child in Term 2, commencing on Monday 17 April. Terms 2&3 are winter academic uniform, which includes blazers.

Have a wonderful Easter holiday break with your families soon.

If you have any questions or concerns about Senior College, please do make contact through the College office or via email at: rwallis@parklands.qld.edu.au

Blessings,
Rebecca Wallis
Head of Senior College

Worth has been the overarching focus of our school, beginning in the middle of this term with secondary and building into a week of celebrations school-wide at the start of next term. Our Year 12 student leadership team have discussed the concept of worth at chapels, through emails to students, and you may have seen posters around the school and chalk on the footpaths. It’s been the theme of chapel messages, and next term the captains will roll out some fun activities and will lead a ‘worth chapel’ for both secondary and primary.

This is a key part of our culture at Parklands – our commitment to overtly reminding students every year of their great worth to God (and to us!). That they are uniquely made and treasured by God, that they have gifts and strengths to offer this world and a part to play in God’s big story. I love this theme and feel privileged to come alongside our students as they continue to realise God’s love for them on deeper levels. It’s also a great opportunity to promote our expectation of inclusivity and love towards others, as we value the differences with which God has made each of us and how this contributes to the beauty of the world, the effectiveness of our teams and the joy of different perspectives.

We also celebrated Harmony Week this term, with Year 12 student Sandy leading the way with initiatives, backed up by the rest of the student leadership team and of course our teachers. What a great time to focus on the principles of inclusivity, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.

As we move into the easter break, I thank our families for journeying with us through a busy Term 1 and thank our staff for all their effort and care. We continue building our new learning platform with an app and the improved learning interface for students, teachers and parents coming later this year. There will be emails about this as we draw closer to release – and after that, emails will be largely replaced by notifications through the app, how exciting! In the meantime, I wish everyone a restful and fun holiday break, as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and our God’s amazing love for each one of us.

Prep

The Preppies have had so much fun in their first term of school. Our keen little learners have wowed us with their counting, singing, and signing and they are even starting to read words and sentences. How amazing!

In Science, we explored how the environment affects us by observing and recording the weather, doing experiments, and making wind catchers. Show and share has been a real highlight. We have seen all sorts of interesting things from snake skins and puffer fish to wedding veils and teddy bears. Linking show and share to our HASS unit gave the Preppies a great opportunity to talk about their families and show their friends photos and special objects to help us learn about our past. We have enjoyed some wonderful books including our favourite, Wombat Stew! We loved listening to all the rhyming words and talking about what yucky ingredients we could add to the stew. We even made our own wombat stew with real feathers and leaves.

Along with all the fantastic things we have been learning about the world and each other, the Preppies have been practising their fine motor skills every morning. Picking up pom poms with tweezers and digging for dinosaur bones have been a great way to develop hand strength, coordination and control.

After all the marvellous mess and excitement of the Colour Fun Run, we ended Term One by listening to the Easter story and making lots of lovely Easter cards and decorations. We pray our little friends have a relaxing Easter break and we can’t wait to see you all in Term Two for more fun, mess, and learning and our move to our new classrooms!

Happy Easter from the Prep team.

Year 1

Well, the end of Term 1 is upon us and we couldn’t be prouder. The children have worked solidly over the last ten weeks and have challenged themselves to be great thinkers and problem solvers.

Since last month we have worked really hard during writing lessons. The children have researched and learnt all about insects and mini-beasts that live in our gardens. We wrote many reports to share information about different creatures and have become great illustrators as well.

During math lessons this term we explored all about teen numbers. We discovered how we can represent these numbers in a variety of ways. We are still  learning to count forwards and backwards and in skip counting sequences.

This week we began talking about Easter and what it means to us. We talked about our family traditions, which we will continue to look at in HASS next term.

Have a blessed Easter break, take care and look after one another. We can’t wait to see what the next term brings!

Kelly Clausen, Donna Auld, Alisha Mane, Mrs S and Year 1

Year 2

The students in Year 2 have grown so much this month. As we end our first term of 2023, let’s look back on all the amazing experiences and lessons we have had in year two!

Our language lessons went WILD as the students researched and reported on a native Australian animal. They worked so hard to transfer their “dot point” research into sentences and then onto a Google Slide Presentation! It was also a joy in language to listen to all the poems that were memorized and presented to the class. So clever!

The students have stepped up their mathematical skills as we have been learning and practicing mental math strategies. We have been skip counting and adding numbers like crazy! The students explored area, volume, and capacity in fun and creative ways. Eureka!

Life cycles came to fruition in science as the students observed the entire life cycle of a meal worm. Such delight on their faces when darkling beetles were discovered where once a larva crawled!

The students have been discovering and exploring historical sites in our area and we will continue to research these places that still are significant to us all today. The students also conducted amazing interviews with people in our Parkland’s community and from the Logan area. They have learned how to ask high quality questions that unlock details of another person’s story. This is an important life skill that we will continue to polish.

March ended with so much excitement as a rainbow of colours splashed across the campus for our Colour Run. The students had so much fun! Our Year 2 team wishes you all a beautiful and blessed Easter holiday.

Year 3

What a fabulous month for Year 3! We have had so many amazing experiences this month and are so excited for the holidays. A definite highlight has been our Science unit where we have been able to get outside and learn about how God made the Earth, moon and sun all interact to make day and night for us. This culminated in a fun experiment assessment where we got to observe how shadows change during the day as a result of the Earth’s rotation causing the sun to be in different positions throughout the day.

The students then got to be a part of their first NAPLAN tests. Students had to write a narrative as well as complete three online tests for reading and comprehension, language conventions and numeracy. All students did such a great job and the best part was a celebration and treat each day as we ticked off each test! We are super proud of them all.

On the 21st March 2023, we celebrated Harmony Day. Students had a lot of fun making a Harmony Day chatterbox which they then used to talk to each other about their cultural background, what makes them different and unique and what makes us all similar. This was very enjoyable and also encouraged some great learning and interaction. We also made an orange bracelet that said ‘We All Belong’ which they were able to wear for the day.

We had an AMAZING day for Cross Country and Colour Run. The older Year 3 students got to compete in Cross Country and also enjoy the great food on offer (I’ll let you guess which part was their favourite). They also enjoyed the Joshua vs Samuel tug of war! In the afternoon, we all got to be part of the fun with our very first PCC Colour Run. The kids had a blast and all enjoyed being together.

As we run into the last days of March, we are finishing up our last end of term assessments and looking forward to some Easter crafts and activities. Thank you to all of the parents this month who have helped with changing readers, running literacy groups, coming to the Cross Country and Colour Run and for being the amazing support you are to your kids! We are very blessed by you all!

Have an awesome Easter and a great break and see you all for term 2!

The Year 3 Team
Dayna Davis, Renée Imms, Sue Martin and Christine Uwamurera

Year 4

We have been hard at work in Year 4 finishing our Term One topics. Students have been writing animal information reports, thinking of great questions about explorers and researching answers, finding out about life cycles and how living things survive and looking at fractions and area. We have challenged ourselves to cover our desks to find the area, made fairy bread fractions and cut oranges to work out how to put fractions on number lines. Our names and initials came in handy, as we put them onto grid paper and calculated the area. We have also taken time to do some Easter activities, including writing beautiful cards for our local nursing home residents.

In addition to all this hard work, we have made lots of time for fun too. Our favourite activity this month was Colour Run.

Year 6

2023 is well underway! It was fantastic to kick off the year with our Leadership camp at CYC Burleigh! We focussed on Jesus’ model of leadership, a model that is based on serving others and upholding each and every person’s dignity. Rolling off the back of camp, we selected our Captains and Ambassadors who lead the students in primary and help staff with important projects. We have been pleased with the way that the cohort is taking up their mantle of Leadership.

We have welcomed four new students to Parklands this year and it has been great to see everyone take care of their new classmates so they settle in quickly.

We hope that our Year 6s are more willing (and able) to help out in the kitchen at home because of the focus we have placed on recipes in English. We’ve continued to see pleasing improvements in Maths Pathways results, with many students continuing to master concepts and skills that were previously too difficult. An important component of this process is learning how to learn by refining study habits and learning to take responsibility for their own learning.

It has been really fun to use the 3D printers every day too. There has been a large range of designs coming through, even a handful of customised designs made by students who are developing their proficiency with the TinkerCAD app on the iPad.

We look forward to a restful break over the Easter holidays and a safe return back to school in Term 2.

God bless,
The Grade 6 Team

Cubing Club

We have had an amazing start to our Cubing Clubs this year! This year we have Cubing Club for Primary Students, Secondary Students and for staff. Some students who can already solve the 3×3 Rubik’s Cube have now moved onto another cube, the pyraminx, which is in the shape of a pyramid. I am proud of all of the students who have progressed in their knowledge and skill in solving the cube. We have so many successes each week!

Supporting Learning from Home

Short Course for Parents & Guardians

Hi Everyone,

We hope that you are doing well.

TAFE Queensland is offering a short course for Parents and Guardians to learn strategies to support and guide their child/children’s learning. The course is for any parent who wishes to support their child with their learning or homework at home. They may be home schooled or they could be attending regular school.

If possible could your school please include this course in your newsletter to parents?

Start date: Monday 8th May 2023
Duration: 1 day per week for 7 weeks
Schedule: 10.30am – 1.30pm
Location: Zoom online
Price: $120

Please download attached flyer below for further details.

Click here for further information

If you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call on 07 5581 8810, or email schools.goldcoast@tafeqld.edu.au

From the TAFE at School team.

Year 7 English

In Year 7 English students are practising using their voices with recording technology for their podcasts. 7D English students enjoyed the shaded Year 7 area as they recorded sound effects with their working partners.

The Give Back Project

The Give Back Project (adapted from Eco Club in 2022), is a student-led and student-voiced coterie that runs on Wednesday afternoons during senior sport options. Our vision for this project is to provide an opportunity for students to engage in social science, mental wellbeing practice, and giving back to both the community and our earth. 

This term, we implemented a composting system primarily for the HOS department, with the help of Mr Warman and the grounds staff. This project has already been a huge success, and Give Back would like to thank all the staff involved in helping us set this project up. 

In addition, we ideated and constructed a vege garden from scratch! We spent our weekly sessions rotating between indoor brainstorming and practical activities such as digging, working in the tech-shed, and recycling scrap wood to build our ‘inaugural give-back garden 2023’ sign. 

We were able to occasionally use our Give Back sessions for relaxation and wellbeing through craft and creative activities with an environmental focus. This benefited our group greatly, especially during overwhelming exam and assessment times!

As a group, we communicated with the PCC friendlies, cleaning and grounds staff, as well as our fellow students to find about our College’s needs in terms of sustainability. We then worked hard to implement these ideas into our weekly sessions to bring them to life! 

Give Back Project is running again in term 2 for senior sport options. If your student is interested in sustainability, and looking for a fun, social way to make a difference in our earth and community, we would love to see our Give Back Project grow! All senior students are so welcome.

From the Give Back Team (Jet and Issy)!

Cubing Club

We have had an amazing start to our Cubing Clubs this year! This year we have Cubing Club for Primary Students, Secondary Students and for staff. Some students who can already solve the 3×3 Rubik’s Cube have now moved onto another cube, the pyraminx, which is in the shape of a pyramid. I am proud of all of the students who have progressed in their knowledge and skill in solving the cube. We have so many successes each week!

Term 1 at the cafe has been amazing and super busy so far. We have absolutely loved seeing everyone, from our little preppies to primary students, secondary students, parents, younger siblings and of course our wonderful staff. This term we also had a visit from our OSHC kiddies for a special morning order of delicious milkshakes!

It has been wonderful to reach out to all our school community and provide this café service. Our Connections Crew is so thankful to the whole school community for your support. We have seen our Hospitality students blossom and grow as they learn and hone their skills and as they give up their before school time with our Hospitality staff to run the Café.

We also started Term 1 with a newly installed Gratitude Tree and we have had some lovely messages added, thank you! Please do continue to show your gratitude and fill out a message to be added to the tree next term.

Additionally, we have teamed up with the Tuckshop, providing a variety of items from our kitchen, all made by our fantastic team of Hospitality students. Please keep checking the Tuckshop’s weekly menus to see what is on offer as this will be continuing throughout the year. It has been a wonderful collaboration for all involved.

In closing, for Term 2, please note:

• Connections Cafe is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:30am – 8:15am sharp.
• All beverages are $3.00 each, both hot and cold, with exception, 50c extra for caramel or vanilla in your coffee.
• Muffins are $2.00 each and we can heat them up for you.
• We will be selling warmed Bacon and Cheese Rolls for $2.00 each when we open after the holidays.

Looking forward to serving you again soon!

With love and blessings,
Connections Crew xx

The Health Bay is Open!

Friday 17^th March we officially moved into the new Health bay space and what a beautiful healthy space it is! It has been a joy and privilege to be able to care for and support our students through all their first aid and medical needs. We look forward to using this space as an extension of care through our parklands community. If your child needs medical support whilst they are school, please don’t hesitate to contact healthbay@parklands.qld.edu.au.

A few reminders as we enter the dreaded flu season…

Winter is coming! Please be mindful of flu symptoms in your child…

Signs and symptoms of Influenza- What to look out for

• Body aches and pains
• Headache
• Cough or noisy breathing
• Sore throat and runny nose
• Low energy
• Nausea, vomiting and/or diarrohea

When to see a doctor?

• Fever (high temperature) that does not respond to fluids, rest or fever reducing medications such as paracetamol.
• If your child becomes very unwell, dehydrated or has breathing difficulties.
• If your child suffers a chronic condition such as asthma or diabetes, it is important to monitor their condition and seek medical help if needed.

Caring for your child at home

Most children recover from influenza within seven days without any treatment. Ensure your child has the following:

• Bed rest
• Lots of fluids
• Fever reducing medicine such as paracetamol or ibuprofen.

How is Influenza Spread?

• Coughing, sneezing and touching objects with infected saliva or mucus
• Flu is contagious before symptoms appear and for a few days after
• Good hygiene can reduce the chance of passing on to other family members. Such as:
• Regularly washing hands thoroughly
• Not sharing cups or cutlery
• Encouraging children to cough and sneeze into elbow.
• Use tissues and throw them in the bin.

Influenza Vaccine or “Flu shot”

• This is the best way to reduce chance of sickness.
• Any person/child 6 months or older can get the flu shot.
• Talk to your GP or pharmacist to book in for a flu shot before winter arrives!

Important Points for School

• Please keep your child home if they are sick and are showing ANY of the symptoms of influenza.
• Your child must be 24hours symptom free before returning to school.
• Email your child’s teacher if you have any concerns they are missing assessments or exams- your child’s health is a priority and suitable arrangements will be made for catch up.
• If your child is in senior school- please email Mrs. Wallis to communicate that your child is away, due to the nature of senior school sometimes a medical certificate is required for assessment periods.
• Vaccination is the best way to prevent an influenza infection.
• Good hygiene habits encouraged in your child- not sharing food, washing hands regularly.
• Please visit your GP if your child is very unwell.

Dear Parklands Community,

At the conclusion of Term 1, I want to acknowledge our wonderful Parklands staff for all of their hard work and dedication.  Although the start of the 2023 Academic Year was a smooth one (for the first time in 3 years), it’s been an incredibly busy season as we embark on a journey of improvement throughout almost every area of our organisation. Every department of our school has been impacted by either our current building program, or the various learning management and database system upgrades.

Despite the busyness, we have successfully navigated the first term, even adding a new event – Colour Run 2023.  Events like the colour run are wonderful community events that support amazing organisations like Bloom Asia.  However, squeezing events like this into our programming is challenging to say the least, and requires staff to go above and beyond.  I appreciate our staff and consider it a privilege to be able to serve in our community alongside them all. So when next you see a Parklands staff member, please encourage them as they strive to serve your family and wider community.

One of the bigger challenges we face presently is the need to move Prep out of their current facilities so the Bedford Build team can fully renovate and upgrade our Little Learners building.  This was not part of the original plan which was built around the understanding that Prep renovations would be done during holiday breaks.  However, I must confess that our original renovation plans have expanded over time, so I must share some of the blame for these last minute moves.  The good news is that after this year of disruptions, our site will have some amazing and contemporary primary learning spaces.

We are also working hard at registering our Early Learning Centre (ELC) designs so we can start building a facility that will hold 76 children from nursery to 4 years.  We believe we are in the final stages of registration and should commence building very soon.  Bedford Build have been awarded the ELC contract, and we look forward to continuing our working relationship with them.  As soon as we are registered to do so, we will welcome applications from our families first before advertising spaces to the wider community.

It’s an exciting time to be part of the Parklands community, and right now it’s a special time of the year for our community as we pause and consider the meaning of Easter. Easter is the most significant event on the Christian calendar because it’s a time when we pause and remember Jesus’ death and resurrection.

John 11:25-26: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. 

Despite the horrific events that led to Jesus’ death, Easter is ultimately a “good news” story, and a story of hope for humanity.  Jesus died, then 3 days later He rose again, concurring death and atoning for our sin.  In this moment, God demonstrates His love for us and His desire for a relationship with His people.

If you would like to know more about Easter, or you are looking for a Church to attend on Good Friday or Easter Sunday, then I invite you to join me at Parklands Christian Centre and celebrate the good news of Easter.

Good Friday Service: Friday 7^th April – 9:00am
Easter Sunday Service: Sunday 9^th April – 10:00am

Gary Cully
Principal

Park Ridge Pirates Junior Football Club

Park Ridge Panthers FC

Park Ridge Panthers

Foster Carers Needed

You-Be-You-Newsletter

1.You-Be-You-Information-Kit

In Sync Kids OT have a satellite clinic within Parklands Christian College providing private Occupational Therapy Services specifically to students of the school. In Sync Kids Occupational Therapy specialises in sensory integration and neurodevelopment.  Kelsey Hackett is the Occupational Therapist and point of contact for the satellite clinic within Parklands Christian College.

Kelsey Hackett has experience working as a paediatric occupational therapist since 2015 in the United States and has relocated to Brisbane in 2021. She has her Bachelors of Psychology and Master of Occupational Therapy degree. She has worked in the clinic-based and school-based settings with children of all ages and a wide range of diagnoses for the past 7 years.

For any additional information regarding Occupational Therapy services, please contact Kelsey Hackett kelsey.hackett@insynckidsot.com  and feel free to look at the In Sync Kids OT website for more information http://www.insynckidsot.com

Free Dental Care

FREE DENTAL CARE

Tuckshop news

The tuckshop will be open EVERY day this year, Monday-Friday!

Secondary Students please note all hot food purchased from the Tuckshop needs to be preordered online.

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!

Please contact our Tuckshop Convenor, Marie Rushin, on 0422 637 370 or email tuckshop@parklands.qld.edu.au

Tuckshop Menu 2023

Enrolment Flyer

Parklands Outside School Hours Care is situated within the school grounds of Parklands Christian College.

The OSHC service caters for children from Prep to Year 12, operating before and after school care and also vacation care.  Prep children who are starting their first year of schooling are able to attend vacation care commencing January 2023.   Before-school care offers a simple but nutritious breakfast for the children and activities and programs are based on the children’s interests, ideas and feedback.  During the school term, the service operates daily from: 6.30am-8.30am, and 3pm-6pm (with office staff available from 2pm).  Vacation Care runs from 6.30am-6pm.

Parklands OSHC has qualified educators and is an open-door service that welcomes and encourages all family’s input, suggestions and feedback.

Should you wish to discuss any care needs, please pop in to see us or contact us via:

Phone.  3297 0577 \ 0417 009 408

Email:    parklandsbookings@bigpond.com

Please note a current enrolment is required for all bookings including casual and emergency care bookings.

We look forward to assisting with all your care needs.

Miss Rachel

Parklands OSHC

Uniform Shop Hours

(School Days Only)
Mondays 8.00am – 10.00am
Tuesdays 2.00pm – 4.00pm
Thursdays 2.00pm – 4.00pm

Uniform Shop Location Address/Parking:

24 Hillcrest Rd, Park Ridge Qld 4125 (located on the left hand side, at the end of Hillcrest road).

For further information:
Phone: (07) 3380 4256
Email: service@theschoollocker.com.au

Uniform Shop Facebook Page/PCCUniforms

Purchase Uniforms Online

 SHOP ONLINE @theschoollocker.com.au/schools/parklands-christian-college 

Term Dates 2023