In this issue

Dear Parklands Community,

For those of our community who were able to make it to our fete on Saturday, I trust you had an enjoyable day. I had a great time connecting with new and existing families alike. This year we ran Principal’s tours for visitors wishing to see our facilities and learn a little more about our community. There was a lot of interest in these tours, and a large number of subsequent enrolment inquiries.

While Parklands is enjoying a favourable season and is popular in the wider community, faith-based schools and Christian Schools, in particular, have faced some scrutiny and subsequent challenges of late. It would appear that as the religious freedoms debate continues, faith-based schools of all faiths and descriptions have been caught in the unfolding, political and highly publicised story.

Adding to the complexity of this season of scrutiny is a change of government. The ALP enter their tenure of government having to very quickly grapple with religious freedom and equity that protects people of faith from discrimination, addresses concerns from minority groups and provides certainty to faith-based schools (CSA 2022). No easy task.

Meanwhile, our task as a school has not changed.  We keep serving our families, supporting and fostering community, teaching students and doing so in the name of Jesus who called us to love unconditionally (Matthew 7:1-6 & Mark 12: 30-31). Proverbs 22:6 calls us to “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it” (KJV).  On this basis, we teach our students from an unashamedly Christian Worldview in the hope that they might enter the adult world with a desire to love and serve according to their God given gifts and talents.

We believe that God has a plan for every young life, and a desire to be their strength and foundation in good times and bad, and I believe that every student needs this foundational assurance in their life. This is what it means to be a faith based, Christian school. We are committed to the holistic education of children; mind, soul and body, and we do this well.

At Parklands, we are committed to the notion of providing a quality, Christian school education that leads to student flourishing.  We have been doing this since 2001, and we are planning to continue this good work well into the future.

As we enter a new and exciting season of our school, with new buildings and a commitment to a bright vision of the future, I ask you to join me in prayer for our community and its place in Logan City.

Gary Cully
Principal

School holiday and Writing and Art Workshops

Our next school holiday writing and art camps are coming soon.
They will be held during the school holidays, starting on Tuesday, July 5, 2022 and running until Thursday, July 7, 2022 at Sheldon College.

There will be a three day camp for children aged 9 to 14 and a one day workshop for children aged 7 to 10.

Park Ridge Football Club

OzSports Woolworths Cricket Blast Program

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 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

What’s New?

Some of the great new books the students have requested include:

• Catwad: You’re making me sick by Jim Benson
• Middle School Series by James Patterson
• More Minecraft guides
• New FTV
• Wings of Fire series (Graphic Novels and text.)
• Kid Youtuber by Marcus Emerson (the author of Diary of a 6^th Grade Ninja.)
• Additions to the I Survived collection (Graphic Novels and text.)

Many Students in Year 3 have been eager to borrow Choose Your Own Adventure stories. We have put our collection on a display stand to encourage more students to continue the Narrative study they are working on in class.

National Simultaneous Storytime:

In Week 6, our Primary classes enjoyed the NSS text, Family Tree, by Josh Pyke. Children were excited to share their family stories and contribute to our library family tree.

Read More in May:

Almost 30 students in Primary School took up the challenge to read every day in May for a minimum of 10 minutes, (not very difficult for our many avid readers!) These children will be awarded a Certificate of Completion and be eligible to win some great prizes from Scholastic.

We remind parents who are monitoring their child’s reading for the challenge, to ensure they are registered and to sign off as completed, at the end of May. A certificate will be sent to your home email. Most students will receive a Certificate from the Teacher-Librarian in the next few weeks.

Top borrowers for May

Theodora Szanto- Year 3 – 13
Erleen Kaur – Year 3 – 11
Olivia Szanto – Year 3 – 11
Elsei Badilita – Year 5 – 10
Abraham Carkeet Year 4 – 10
Ashlea Singh – Year 4 – 9
Amity Bachelor – Year 2 – 8
Evie Christopher – Year 2 – 8
Lahannah Florkowski – Year 2 – 8

Psalm 33:3 “Sing a new song of praise to him; play skilfully on the harp, and sing with joy.”

Skill requires time. Time in terms of weeks & months & years, but also time in the practice room. Just like a pilot must “get their hours up” before being fully licensed to fly a plane, musicians must “get their hours up” to develop skill on their instrument. While these hours are not always easy or enjoyable in & of themselves, they are like seeds which, given time & the right conditions & care, will flourish into the plants they were meant to be. In the same way that repetition of timetables or spelling words develops proficiency, practice enables an instrument to be played with joy as the skills are no longer difficult, but flow effortlessly. The key ingredient here is time.

Please continue to encourage your children to put time into playing their instrument. Hours per day are not necessary at this stage – even 15mins per day on 4 days of the week will make a difference. That’s just 1 hour out of the week! Imagine what could happen if that became 2 hours, or 3 hours…limitless possibilities!

Lessons & Rehearsals

This term we welcome Martin Melville, our new guitar & drum kit teacher! Martin comes to us with over 30 years teaching & music industry experience, with a passion for music & a passion for teaching kids and helping them find their love of music. I’m really looking forward to watching our students grow & flourish under his tutelage.

All instrumental lessons are continuing for Term 2.  All Choir & Ensemble rehearsals are humming along, including the Give It A Go! Band who had their first rehearsal in Week 1 – so exciting! It’s so good to hear these young players coming together for the first time.

Ensembles & Choirs include:

–       Primary Junior Choir (Year 2 & 3) – Wednesday, 7:50-8:20am in Mrs Patane’s room
–       Primary Senior Choir (Years 4-6) – Thursday, 2:30-3:10pm in Mrs Patane’s room
–       Give It A Go! Band (Year 4 GIAG woodwind, brass & percussion students) – Thursday, 7:30-8:15am in L5
–       Wind Ensemble (Years 4-12, woodwind, brass & percussion students with minimum 12 months experience) – Tuesday, 7:30-8:15am in L5
–       College Worship Team (Years 7-12) – Tuesday, 3:20-4:45pm in the Church Auditorium

Choirs are open to all students regardless of whether or not they’re having lessons, and no experience is necessary. The Give It A Go! Band is generally reserved for students in the Give It A Go! Programme as it caters for beginner students. Wind, brass & percussion students continuing to have lessons at school will play in the Wind Ensemble, and anyone else who has lessons outside of school is also welcome to join this ensemble.

Performances

Term 2 is a busy one for performances. Of course the College Fete is coming up on Sat 28^th May, so all Ensembles & Choirs will be performing throughout the day. Information has been sent home regarding this day, so please check your email for details from your child’s Ensemble director.

We are also planning to hold a smaller concert for students to perform solos, either vocal or instrumental, later in the term. This will be a great opportunity for those who perhaps play instruments such as the piano which aren’t involved in larger Ensembles, to perform for a live audience. Watch out for more details about this event.

Give It A Go! Band Programme

We’re excited to be welcoming our next group of Give It A Go! students this year, and so far they’re doing very well. Lessons have begun already, but if you or your child are interested in being a part of this programme, please check the details below.

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

–       Flute
–       Clarinet
–       Saxophone
–       Trumpet
–       Trombone
–       Baritone/Euphonium
–       Percussion (includes drums, auxiliary & mallet percussion)

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 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

Family Interaction – Children and Responsibilities

Working as a family unit can be a tough task, so many different people all with needs and wants trying to get their needs met. As a parent we have a household to maintain along with so many other responsibilities, tasks, jobs, family and friends to make time for. To be able to teach our children, it is important that we are giving them responsibilities around the house, so that they are participating in the cleaning as well as the messing up. Hopefully this in the long term, this also takes some of the pressure off just one or two people in the family. But how do we do this and what age should they be doing what? Does my 4 year old start to iron or mow the lawn? No, but they can put away their toys, set the table for dinner, sort the washing and that level of responsibility.  It can take longer to get through the jobs but in the long term it is important that they are learning to do things for others and a range of personal character building activities!

Here are some areas to think about when getting children to complete responsibilities/chores:

1. Give choices.

We are teaching these amazing human beings to be responsible adults. So give them some choices. Maybe sit down with the family and have a list of all the daily and weekly responsibilities that need to be done. Ask which responsibilities each child would like to complete. They may need to pick three of four depending on size and nature of the task, letting them pick which tasks give them a sense of ownership and choice. On this list be clear and maybe even have a timeframe on when this task would need to be done. i.e. washing the dishes needs to start within 10mins after dinner and should take about 15-35mins depending on amount and age.

2. Be relaxed.

Start the process by showing your child how to complete the task to your expectations. Next, be there with them as they do the task. Pointers and tips are great if given with encouragement and not rushed.  We need to be a little relaxed on the quality of the end result of their work. This will work best if you are prepared for the task not to be at the level of perfection that you usually like. Be aware of how you might feel if you completed a task and then someone came along and said what a great job you did and redid the task in front of you. They will get better at it the more you allow them to do it. Especially with good constructive feedback and encouragement.

3. Start young.

Children are growing up and they can handle a great deal more than you might think. What were we doing when we were kids? I was setting the table at 5 and doing the dishes and washing the car at 10. Starting early instills a sense of ownership on the family household and gives invaluable skills, such as self-control and a good work ethic. Please see the list below for some guidelines on what children can do. Your child will learn as they are doing the task.

4. Words of Affirmation.

It is important to encourage your child in their attempts at doing the tasks around the house. Speak powerfully into their young lives by giving them praise for the task that they have completed. Building this positive momentum will encourage the child to participate in the household responsibilities willingly. You might even find that they will voluntarily do the task without getting asked. It is rare but does happen!

5. Be clear and consistent.

Creating and maintaining boundaries for your child is important, especially in regards to their responsibilities. Be clear in your instructions and take away any vagueness. For example ‘clean your room’ vs ‘ put your clothes in drawers, put dirty clothes in basket, all toys to be put in the toy box, books on bookshelf’. Once they learn the expectation they will understand what ‘clean your room’ means.  If there is a timeframe for a task to be done then communicate this. Remember the Loving our Kids on Purpose story about the chicken coop. Sometimes we may need to trade our tasks with our child if they are not willing to do it within the timeframe. This is where we can give them the tasks we do not like doing.

Should money be attached to the tasks? There is no easy way to answer this question; what do you want your children to learn through doing the tasks? Are you doing this for them to learn about responsibility and about how to do household tasks? Do you want to set up an environment of negotiation and terms? For tasks that are extra or one offs i.e. washing the windows once a month or helping paint the doors, adding money to the task can bring a new aspect of life for your child to learn about; money management and the concepts of working.

We are all growing to be a powerful person. Powerful people are ok with making mistakes and take the opportunity to learn. No matter what happens know that with every step we are learning and moving towards the person that GOD created us to be!

Enjoy the journey of raising your child/ren and being a powerful person!

CSSAQ Basketball

This year we had 6 teams participating at the CSSAQ Basketball Event. The students have been training throughout the term and taking what they’ve learnt through the USL season to put their best foot forward. There were some stand out performances from the day, but the biggest success was how galvanised the teams were, and their willingness to to put their body on the line for the good of others. Thank you to the coaches and students for their commitment, and for representing the school in such a positive manner.

SSDSS XC

Weather wouldn’t hold the students back at the Southern District, with all students arriving ready to take part. Every athlete competed to their best ability and that’s all we can ask of them. The college spirit was on full display with the team getting around each other and supporting one another through the gruelling course. We had a number of top 10 finishes throughout the day and many of them qualified for the Southern District Team. Thanks for the effort put in by the students and the perseverance shown throughout the event.

Congratulations to all of you on such a successful day.

Parklands Equestrian

Interschool sport is a key part of our sporting program. Generally in the more mainstream sports, but we also have a small number of students who compete in the Equestrian Interschool competition representing Parklands. Helena Costin has a passion for horses and recently competed over a weekend long competition of dressage and show jumping. Helena placed 9th overall in her class for dressage and 7th overall for the combined training competition and for show jumping.

Well done to Helena for preparing herself and her horse so well for the competition. A huge thank you also to Helena’s mum, Bec, for taking the lead on coordinating our Interschool Equestrian team. If you would like to find out more information on this program please email Rebecca Costin via email curtc@bigpond.net.au

Year 8 History

We looked at the feudal system in our immersive history lesson. One of our Year 8 students chose her role (as a free peasant) as a seamstress, and took to her role with great enthusiasm by using the materials from the field (literally).

11 Food & Nutrition

Food and Nutrition students recently resolved a food problem for a small fictitious start-up company. Their challenge was to identify and produce a new product that could be sold by their company using the current wasted egg yolk or egg white. The students worked hard experimenting with a variety of recipes until they were able to propose a final solution. One of the best parts of their experimentation is the taste testing.

Tuckshop ordering

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

Thank you for a wonderful and enjoyable Term 2.

We have experienced many exciting and lovely events this term that have filled our Parkland’s experience with memories, joy, fun and wonder – ANZAC Service, Profile Evening, Cross Country, Naplan, Mother’s Day stall, Team Games Day, College Fete, incursions, excursions, a lot of wet weather plays and normal school lessons.

NAPLAN Testing

I must say the students seemed to be very well prepared, settled, calm and eager to write the tests this year. Some even commented they were, “Keen to see how well they are doing academically this year!” Thank you very much to the Year 3 and Year 5 parents for assisting us in explaining the value and purpose of the testing as well as ensuring our students got a good night’s sleep, healthy breakfast and plenty of water during that testing period/week. A very BIG ‘Thank you” also needs to go to the truly wonderful Yr 3 and 5 teachers (Mrs Davis, Mrs Imms and Mrs Edwards, Miss Orellana) plus Mrs Jo Anderson and Miss Strubin for the awesome work they have done to prepare the students this year for the tests! We now look forward to receiving the student reports and results later in the year.

Uniforms

Can we please ask that you assist us in ensuring the students are correctly dressed in the right uniform each day? We are experiencing students wearing their sport uniforms when not required and have also noticed (now that it’s getting cold) that some students are starting to mix and match their track suit and jumper tops or even wearing non-school jumpers. If unsure about uniform items or correct uniform requirements, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher, the RTC, uniform store or check our website for photos and details. Would you please be so kind as to ensure that ALL uniform items, water bottles and LUNCH box items are clearly labeled with the student’s name?

Reports

All students will be receiving an electronic ‘End of Semester Report’ at the conclusion of this term. This report will confirm what your child’s teacher informed you of at the Profile Preview Afternoon, Profile Night or has given you feedback on, as to how your child has progressed this semester.

On TUESDAY 19th July, we have our Primary P/T Interviews in the various classrooms, where you can book an interview to discuss your child’s report with their class teacher. Be on the lookout for more information and booking times and procedures!

Talking about the end of term – we only have a few more weeks of school left then we break up for the Winter Holidays on Friday 17th June and return for Term 3 on Tuesday 12th July.

How to read a report card?

Reports cards can be long and confusing with school jargon/speech throughout them.

Here I will explain:

1. How to read one.
2. How to involve you child.
3. How to praise your child to gain the most future benefit.
4. How to reward your child.

1. What is important amongst all the educational jargon?

You are looking for two things as you read each of the subject reports this will help you establish what your child’s strengths are and whether they are working to the best of their ability. Before looking for the A’s, B’s to E’s in the achievement section, read the English and Maths Comment/s. Does the teacher say that your child is working to the best of their ability? Feedback from teachers is the key to improvement as it tells you and your child what they need to be working on – a way forward. Reports cards are one way of doing this.

Secondly, look at ‘Conduct’ statements as to how they are presenting / conducting themselves in all area of schooling.

2. How to involve your child in reading the report card?

The best thing to do is ask questions and get them to come up with how they think they went in the subject/term/semester. How did you think you went? Which results are you pleased with? What do you think was the cause of the result in this subject?

3. Praise

Process centred praise is more effective than praising intelligence e.g. “You are smart” develops a fixed mindset whereas praising effort develops a growth mindset (Dweck, 2010). Kids who get too much praise are less likely to take risks, are highly sensitive to failure and are more likely to give up when faced with a challenge. Check whether your child has a fixed or growth mindset http://mindsetonline.com

4. Rewards

We need our kids to do things and be self-directed, not because they will get into trouble
or get a reward. “If they are focused on the outcomes (stickers, money, rewards) this leads to a loss of interest in process and an unhealthy need for approval of others” (Sue Roffey, www.wellbeingaustralia.com.au/wba/). We need to focus on intrinsic rewards such as life satisfaction, autonomy, task persistence, positive social relationships, a love of learning and better performances.

• Think about starting to remove extrinsic rewards for results.
• Let kids have a say in what they do and the rules so that they can learn to make social choices appropriate for their age– autonomy not control.
• Praise the process of effort and doing well, not ability.

Praise their:

• effort and persistence
• planning & organization
• engagement in learning
• seeking help & feedback
• problem solving
• decision making

Finding The ‘Off Switch” When Kids Worry

If you’ve ever spent a sleepless night worrying then you’ll know how problems always seem bigger when you keep tossing them around in your head. It can seem like everything is stacked against you. When this happens you’ve got to find the off switch so you can get away from your worries for a while. The same principle holds for children and teenagers when they worry. Their problems just seem to get bigger and they need to turn them off or tone them down so they can ease their anxiety. There are eight easy-to-learn strategies that you can teach your kids to prevent them from ruminating – going over the same thoughts and worries over and over again.

1. Broaden their vision

Kids get tunnel vision when they worry. They often can’t see the bigger picture. For instance, a young person may fret over minor work matters such getting the exact font match for an assignment they are working on, and neglect to get the sleep necessary for good learning the next day. Sometimes it takes a wise adult to remind children and young people about what really is important to them.

2. Put their attention elsewhere

Placing attention away from worries is an age-old technique for parents and teachers. Commonly known as distraction, the act of focusing attention on something other than what causes them distress is vital for good mental health. Examples of distractions include – going outside, playing a game, shooting some basketball hoops or listening to music.

3. Give the worry a name

Somehow giving a worry a name makes it feel less scary and more manageable. My favourite picture storybook for toddlers ‘There’s a Hippopotamus on our Roof‘ by Hazel Edwards personifies fear of the dark as a friendly hippo. Much more friendly and easier to boss around if you’re a child.

4. Put your worries in a jar

Wouldn’t it be great to put all your worries into a safe and throw away the key? As an adult you may do this when you take time out to watch your favourite TV show; or lose yourself wandering for hours online. Children need something a little more practical. They can write their worries on some paper and lock them in away in a jar by the side of the bed at the end of the day. It’s good to know that their worries can’t get out because they are locked up tight.

5. Limit talking time

It’s good if kids can talk about what’s on their mind but talking needs to be contained to prevent their worries from dominating their lives. Set aside ten minutes a day to talk about their worries and then put worry time aside until tomorrow.

6. Normalise rather than feed their anxiety

Anxious kids are very sensitive to their parent’s concerns and worries. One way we build their concerns is by continually reassuring them that things will be fine. One reassurance should be sufficient most of the time followed by “I’ve already talked to you about that.” Continually going over old ground can allow worries to linger longer than necessary.

7. Give him the tools to relax

My wife relaxes in front of the TV, which is sufficient for her to take her mind off her worries. Some people need a bigger set of tools including mindfulness and exercise to help us neutralise our worries.

8. Move baby move

Get kids moving. Physical exercise is not only a great distraction but it release feel-good endorphins that help children and young people feel better and more optimistic about the future. For more on anxiety and the tools you need to support you raise kids who worry or feel anxious, our Parenting Anxious Kids online course is a fantastic resource.

Have a wonderful break and school holiday spent with family and friends.

Prep

In Science this term, the preppies are exploring the needs of living things. Our fabulous little farmers get to plant seeds and look after their own snow pea plants, design a home for a farm animal and best of all… see baby chickens hatch! It was super exciting to observe the eggs hatch in the incubator and we love making sure our fluffy little friends have everything they need as we watch them grow. Soon the baby chicks will go home with their new families.

Another highlight this term was the Evergreen Puppet Theatre! The preppies were mesmerized by talking trees and native Australian animals who live in the rainforest. Another amazing way to learn about living things and their needs.

It was wonderful to see so many of our friends at the College Fete. The Preppies loved singing on stage and enjoying all the rides and stalls. We can’t wait for next year!

The Prep team

Year 1

Happy birthday to Zach (1C) and Timothy (1B) for May!

Literacy Groups have begun in Year One and are in full swing! The children love participating in these groups and it is a great way to practise very important skills in a fun, interactive way. We are grateful to those parents who have been able to assist on selected mornings. It is such a help to us and keeps the groups running smoothly and ensures everyone stays on task. Thank you!

The children have enjoyed taking part in Show and Tell this term. It is a joy to watch the children get excited when sharing about familiar topics in front of their peers. We love learning new things about your children through these activities!

We took part in the National Simultaneous Storytime on Wednesday, 25th May. At 11am, along with the rest of Australia, we read the story Family Tree. We then participated in a few activities about family, growth and change. Check out our family trees in our windows!

Year One will begin working on end of term assessment over the next few weeks. The children work really hard to show us all they are learning and it is amazing to see the children smashing their goals, both big and small!

Until next time, take care!
Mrs Clausen, Mrs Brown, Mrs Mane and Mrs S

Year 2

The term has been be flying by with loads of fun learning happening in Year 2.

Students have been investigating maps to see where and how we divide up the earth and how these places can be described at different scales. Coming up we will be looking at how we are connected to different places.

Year 2 finished their science investigations with all students loving the experiments and the investigative nature of the subject.

As a way to improve and encourage writing our students have been writing a weekly letter to a student in the opposite class. The letters have been so much fun and the kids have done an amazing job at letter writing.

2K has had a really lovely Practicum teacher in their class for the past 3 weeks. Mrs. Joyce Chang has been teaching fun, hands on lessons with the class. The other grade 2 class designed their perfect playground which they shared with Mr. Jakins as he negotiates with architects on the new primary build. It was an excellent and timely demonstration on how math is applied in our everyday lives.

A special thanks to Hudson in 2J for the massive water bug (toe biter) you brought in! Both classes loved seeing and learning about this interesting critter. We serve an amazing and very creative God!

Both classes recently performed their Puppet Plays in Art. The students were so creative and fun. They were a pleasure to watch. Mrs. Bazley did an amazing job teaching the students about Puppet Plays. In Week 7 we will all watch the Evergreen Puppet show together.

Year Two has been a hub of fun and exciting educational activities.

During May, ALIA ran a National Simultaneous Storytime event where many educational institutions read the same story at the same time all across Australia. Year 3 participated in this event and it was fun to think other Year 3 students all across Australia were reading the same book at the same time as us. The book was about a family tree. We then had a lot of fun making our own family trees and, of course, doing a word search!

Many Year 3s had an awesome time at the fete. They performed so well and it was great to see so many students having fun with their friends and family. Thanks to all the parents and families who came out and supported this event.

It’s been a busy month in the life of Middle School! We have had NAPLAN testing, excursions & incursions galore and sporting teams competing all over Brisbane. I’d love to congratulate our Year 7 and Year 9 students on their resilience and courage in completing the NAPLAN testing, amongst some extra unusual circumstances (the great power outage of NAPLAN Thursday was a first for us!). The students took this disruption in their stride, and just got on with the job. There’s also been a strong focus on basketball this term, with our USL competition on a Monday afternoon, and two big CSSAQ carnivals. Coaching and watching our students play sport is one of my favourite things about PCC – we are well known in the sporting community for our positive attitude, joy in competing and team spirit.

At the Fete on Saturday 28^th May, I was stationed on the Principal’s Tour, showing prospective families who are looking to come to PCC around the VOC / Science / Cully Centre area. Throughout the process of showing people around this area and highlighting all the incredible features of secondary school, I found myself reflecting. Feeling like the ultimate salesperson, I sold myself on all the cool things we do and have at PCC! But as the afternoon wore on I realised it was more than that: I sold myself again on our incredible students and all that they bring to middle school. They are so much fun to work with! So families I just wanted to say thank you for trusting us with your children, who make PCC a special place to work.

Two key things are happening at this time of term: finalising assessment and reporting!

Exam Block – Week 8

Middle School students will engage with lots of formal, summative assessment throughout Week 8 of school (Monday 6^th June – Friday 10^th June). It’s a busy time for students as they study, prepare assessment items, present, perform and complete exams. Families, we ask that if your student is unwell or absent during this time that you let us know as soon as possible, so that we can prepare catchup assessment sessions for them. Staff will be praying for students as they enter this busy time in their schooling life, for peace and resilience!

Reports – School Holidays

The first of two semester-based formal reports will be released to families during the June-July school holidays. We encourage you to use these formal documents as a way to celebrate the achievements of your children, and to encourage them as they head into Semester 2 next term.

Term 2 at in secondary school is always “Worth Term”, where we focus on the idea that each one of our precious students is fearfully and wonderfully made by the Creator God, and that each one of them have immeasurable worth just by existing. As we come to the end of Worth Term, my prayer for students is that they remember Matthew 6:26, which says “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”. In this verse, Jesus is actually trying to give us reasons to not worry or be anxious (the next verse says “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”), but the last sentence of verse 26 has a pretty incredible secondary message: you.are.valuable.  The God who created the universe, and everything in it, sees and knows each one of our students and calls them “valuable”.

Kristie Schulz
Acting Middle School Coordinator

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 2021 enrolment is required to accept all bookings including emergency care bookings.

We look forward to assisting with all your care needs.

Uniform Shop location and parking: 24 Hillcrest Rd, Park Ridge
(located on the left hand side, at the end of Hillcrest Road)

Please Note:

As from January 2022 we no longer accept any additional second hand items to sell. We will still be selling second hand uniforms that we have previously received. If you would like to sell your uniforms second hand, please sell them privately or through our parent managed and monitored Facebook page: Facebook Link

Uniform Shop Facebook Page/PCCUniforms

Purchase Uniforms Online

Uniforms can now be purchased online through QuickCliq.com.au

Tuckshop news

Great News! Your tuckshop has received a 5 STAR rating on the EAT SAFE LOGAN CERTIFICATE for the second year in a row. This is a great achievement and all credit to our wonderful Tuckshop convenor and staff.

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 2022

Term Dates 2022 final

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 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

Bus Pass Information for 2022

Bus Queensland is making a number of changes to schools runs for term 1 2022 that may impact your child’s travel arrangements. A list of these changes can be found at https://www.busqld.com.au/term-1-2022-changes. If you have any concerns or queries, please contact us at customers@busqld.com.au or 3802 1233.

PRT Term 1 2022 Notice of service changes

More Bus Services?

We have had a number of enquiries requesting if we could get our existing Bus Qld bus routes extended into more areas south of our College. For Bus Qld to consider this, they require you to email them directly. If the added service could be of benefit to you and your children, please email Bus Qld at reception@busqld.com.au

For bus travel in the Logan Reserve area, please call Logan Coaches on 5546 3077.