This newsletter may look a little bit different - that is because we have launched our brand new website! Take a tour around our new website and let us know what you think at marketing@thelakes.qld.edu.au.
I wanted to share with you a recent Chapel message of encouragement I was able to share with our Secondary students.
Have you ever sat back and seen human kindness play out in front of you and thought 鈥淲OW! That鈥檚 Extraordinary!鈥
蔓草社区se are moments for me when I am buoyed by humanity and at the same time challenged to be more and contribute more to sharing kindness to the world, just as Jesus would have.
I remember seeing an elderly man at the checkout one Christmas, what he had on the conveyor belt was some general shopping and a few Christmas treats. When it came time to pay he looked in his wallet and you could see he was considering whether or not he had enough. At this moment the person directly behind him went quietly to him and said "I鈥檇 like to pay for your groceries today". 蔓草社区 man looked in disbelief and the person again said, "it鈥檚 Christmas and I鈥檇 like to give this to you as a gift". 蔓草社区 old man was lost for words as the person reached across with their card to pay. A very quiet and humbled thankyou was said as the elderly man walked off with his trolley and kept looking back as he walked away. A simple act of kindness from someone sharing what they had expecting nothing in return.
A young mum had just finished placing her groceries in the car and was dealing with two small children when a passer-by who was taking their trolley back to the bay, stopped and offered to take her trolley too. You could see surprise on her face and then relief as I heard her say 鈥渢hat is so kind thank you鈥.
A young person in the street sees an older person drop a $50 note and races after them to hand it back.
A student opens the door for a teacher carrying a heavy load saying 鈥淚鈥檒l get that for you Miss.鈥
A 3-year-old child turns to their parent who is crying and says, 鈥測ou okay mummy? I love you mummy, you are beautiful.鈥
I don鈥檛 know about you, but it saddens me to think that in society today someone putting someone else鈥檚 trolley away or opening a door for someone could be considered extraordinary. But the truth is we seem to be so very busy that we all walk past problems every day thinking the issue is someone else鈥檚 to deal with.
蔓草社区 world of social media and even general news media scares us into thinking that we should only be looking out for number 1; that we need to fight to get what we want, and no one is more important than me!
On the most basic of levels the more we buy into this societal construct that we as individuals matter more than anyone else, we are saying goodbye to our common humanity, the thing that connects each of us, the desire to be in healthy relationship with others and as a result we impact the wellbeing of ourselves and others.
At TLC we desire for our students and staff to be counter-cultural and consider We (the collective) before Me (the individual). 蔓草社区 more we diminish the need to think of others first and place ourselves at the centre and lose sight of caring for our neighbours the quicker the world will become a less caring and less compassionate place and as human beings we will be the poorer for this.
蔓草社区 more we engage in kindness, in genuine positive regard and care for others, and we make this a part of what we do every day, the more we build the Extra into the Ordinary as we become agents of social and cultural change, both here at school and into the world beyond.
What would it look like around here if the Extraordinary was our Ordinary? That every day we did the EXTRA. If we were a little more like the Good Neighbour (Luke 10), a little more like the person of Jesus? How would this impact our wellbeing? Our desire to learn and work? How might this impact our personal best?
Are we simply individuals who like the Priest, the Judge and the Levite think of Me before We and walk past the stranger or do we look to our fellow students and see the common human being, who like us, deserves to be cared for, considered, and feel like they Belong.
Today I am challenging each of you to think of We before you think of yourselves. To consider how your actions or inaction can harm or help, and make the decision, and choose to give what you have, whether time, kind words, support, encouragement, help, effort or money to make someone鈥檚 life better than it would have been otherwise. Are we capable of finding simple ways to support the wellbeing of others? If we are then we may just find that through our care beyond the Me, we begin to work as the body of Christ together for common purpose, for the common good and in doing so we might just find our lives improve too.
I want to share with you the story of Josh, who through a desire to care and connect with others did something the community initially saw as extraordinary and even a bit weird but over time this thing became an ordinary part of life in his school community and encouraged others to do the EXTRA every day.
Blessings.
Mrs Nicole Gregory
Principal
MCouns, GradCertEd, Lead, BEd, DipEd, MACEL
ngregory@thelakes.qld.edu.au
In the final week of Year 12 classes, one of our teachers gave each of their students a gift 鈥 a small glass jar with a Play-Doh model inside. It鈥檚 a gift that works on many layers. First and foremost, it鈥檚 something tangible to interact with while studying; allowing a moment of colourful and playful distraction to let the mind wander and reset. At a deeper level, it鈥檚 also emblematic of who our TLC students are; malleable, capable of change, and not prone to breaking. 蔓草社区 Play-Doh can be moulded to reflect how they feel, shaped to remind them of who they want to be, a lightning rod to collect their stresses, a lesson that what is true today may not be true tomorrow and an important prompt to remind us that 鈥榯his too shall pass鈥 and only that which can change can continue. It鈥檚 a simple gift to help our students navigate a complex world.
In this edition of Tidings, our Head of Secondary, Mr Mathew Stein has shared an article written by the psychologist Karen Young on her website. We hope you enjoy the following reading; it certainly resonated with Mathew and his deep interest in holistic education.
We鈥檙e behind you, cheering you on to the finish line. You might be feeling stressed, overwhelmed, confused and tired 鈥 we understand that, but keep going. Give it everything you鈥檝e got 鈥 you鈥檙e nearly there 鈥 and know that whatever happens next, you鈥檝e got what it takes for an amazing life. Your final grades won鈥檛 change that.
During the next few weeks, remember that nothing that happens now has to determine what happens next. 蔓草社区 potential in you is breathtaking, whether you鈥檝e realised it yet or not. 蔓草社区re will be choices, twists and turns in your path, and a lot of that path won鈥檛 be anything like you imagined. That鈥檚 one of the beautiful things about life. Sometimes things will work out exactly as you thought, and sometimes things will be different. It鈥檚 in the unexpected that the magic happens so take notice of your disappointments 鈥 they are often opportunities, disguised as something else.
As you sit down to your exams you owe it to yourself to work hard and do your best, but know that the results won鈥檛 be a measure of you. 蔓草社区re is no exam, block of exams, or assessment that will even come close to showing what you are capable of, or the life that鈥檚 waiting for you. Exams will test your memory and your understanding of a particular concept, not your intelligence. 蔓草社区y鈥檒l show you what you are capable of during a few particular hours of a few particular days in a few particular subjects. It might be a subject that lights up your potential, or it might not.
Education is powerful, but some of the most powerful things your time at school would have given you won鈥檛 be found on the periodic table or between the dog-eared pages of a maths book. Your education has given you the capacity to have a voice and a presence 鈥 whether that鈥檚 through the way you use words, the way you create, the way you play sport or perform 鈥 or maybe it鈥檚 something else. It鈥檚 shown you that setbacks are temporary, disappointment doesn鈥檛 last, and courage can lift you out of anything. It鈥檚 given you opportunities to flourish your resilience and your wisdom about the way the world works. It鈥檚 shown you a lot about people, and given you insight that can only come from experiencing good ones and not so good ones. It鈥檚 taught you about the relationships to seek out and the ones to steer clear of 鈥 you鈥檒l come across plenty of both. Hopefully, above all else, education has taught you that you can learn anything and do anything when you put in the effort.
It鈥檚 important to work hard and give it everything you鈥檝e got, but know that there are so many more things about you that will determine the life you have. Most of the things, if not all of the things that will make you successful, happy and give you a wonderful life will not be measured by the exams you鈥檙e about to take.
蔓草社区y can鈥檛 test the person you are. 蔓草社区y can鈥檛 test the way people you haven鈥檛 met yet will want to know you, love you, have you as part of their team or leading it. 蔓草社区y can鈥檛 test your creativity, your courage, your wisdom, your resilience or your intelligence. You have the potential for greatness 鈥 whatever that looks like for you. Don鈥檛 let a grade tell you otherwise. Here鈥檚 why 鈥
Your brain is going through a growth spurt 鈥 a massive one. It鈥檚 been on fire since you were about 12 and it will keep going until you鈥檙e about 24, so you鈥檙e only partway through. You might not have yet discovered some of the things you鈥檒l be good at. Your brain is hungry to learn and the exciting thing is that you鈥檙e about to enter a stage of your life where you get to decide what to feed it. You get to decide what to learn, what to excel at, where to put your time and energy.
Your path will be crooked, unexpected and beautiful, which is exactly the way it should be. Don鈥檛 let any of the bends or detours change your belief in your own potential, or the wonderful depth and richness of you.
Most important of all, know that we鈥檙e behind you all the way.
Our End of Year Awards Evenings will be held on Wednesday 30 November:
More information will be sent to families in our Friday Communication Day email but as our community prepares for the end of year awards, please find below details of how awards are determined. More information on our Awards criteria for Primary and Secondary can be found in the .
Academic Awards (Year 7 鈥 12) recognise those students who have engaged deeply with their learning and achieved outstanding outcomes. Decisions about academic awards are made on a cumulative basis, using the following criteria, at the end of Semester 1 and at the end of the academic year. We are committed to acknowledging and honouring both the Dux and the top of subject in every year level.
Academic Award with Honours
Academic Award with Distinction
Academic Award
蔓草社区 Habits Award
Students are able to receive a 蔓草社区 Habits Award when they demonstrate a commitment to exemplary learning behaviours in the classroom. 蔓草社区 criteria are grounded in the TLC values of Be Safe, Be Respectful and Be a Learner. Our teachers consider the following learning habits when they make their decisions; safe and respectful behaviour, resilience, application, participation, concentration and organisation.
Students achieve this award when the weighted average of their learning habits score is 3.9 across all subjects. Any student is eligible to receive a 蔓草社区 Habits Award.
蔓草社区 learning habits criteria are applied 鈥榦n the whole鈥 or 鈥檕n balance鈥 to reflect the student鈥檚 learning habits throughout the year.
More information on the learning habits criteria can be found in the Parent Handbook.
Determination of Subject Prizes
Subject prizes are awarded to students in Years 7-11 who receive the highest subject result based on four terms of work. If more than one student receives the highest subject result, the decision is made by the Head of Faculty in consultation with the relevant Dean of Studies on whom should receive the prize.
Determination of QCE Subject Prizes
In Year 12, a subject prize will be awarded for each subject to the student who receives the highest overall subject result. This result is based on the overall subject result out of 100, which is calculated by the QCAA, by adding together the internal and external assessment marks. If more than one student receives the highest subject result, more than one subject prize will be awarded. To receive a subject prize, all assessments must be completed.
Determination of ATAR Dux and College Dux
A continuing tradition, the College will confer two Dux awards. 蔓草社区 ATAR Dux will be awarded to the student with the highest consented ATAR score. 蔓草社区 College Dux will be awarded to the student with the highest combined subject score from their best five general subjects.
With end-of-year reports due for release at the end of the term, it is a timely reminder that your child's continuous reporting comments are always available on SEQTA. Instead of waiting until the end of semester for feedback on your child's progress, reporting information is made available after each formative assessment task. 蔓草社区 feedback students receive is targeted to that particular assessment task and, where appropriate, offers advice and goals to feed-forward to the next task. We are confident that this gives you timely and continuous feedback about your child's progress in any given class rather than waiting till the end of semester report. 蔓草社区 provision of this continually updated reporting data on SEQTA means that your child's end of semester report represents a transcript summary of their learning at this particular juncture in time.
蔓草社区 marking operation for our Year 12 External Exams is under way, and we鈥檇 like to shine a spotlight on our teachers who are engaged in the marking operation: Mr Collins (Chinese), Ms Budd (Biology), Mr Francis (Legal Studies), Ms Greaney (Digital Solutions), Mr Clohesy (PE), Mrs Allonby (Methods), Ms Mackay (Biology), Mrs Dare (English), Mrs Johnston (Music), Mr Kundu (Specialist Mathematics), Mrs McNally (English), and Mr Stein (Economics). We are also fortunate to have five Lead Markers: Miss Malone (English), Mrs Saayman (Business), Mrs Corbin (Chemistry), Mr Ridout (English) and Mrs Tilley (Modern History).
In addition to supporting the QCAA with this significant marking process, these teachers are going through the best professional development that a teacher in Queensland can be undertaking. 蔓草社区ir sharpened practice, up to date knowledge of the new QCE system and deep insights in the marking operation will have significant flow-on effects for teaching and learning within our classrooms. 蔓草社区se teachers will amend their classroom practice to be consistent with best practice, they will drive change in their teams, and they will be able to clearly communicate the more obscure aspects of the new system to our students.
I would like to share a reflection from a book that has inspired me. As you know, this year I have picked Robert Fulghum鈥檚 Words I Wish I Wrote. Fulghum has been a philosophical companion to me ever since I read his essay as part of a speech for Year 12 English many years ago. In Words I Wish I Wrote, he compiles a lifetime鈥檚 worth of essays, readings and reflections from inspirational thinkers. This one is in honour or last week鈥檚 World Teacher鈥檚 Day.
鈥淵ou can count the seeds in an apple, but you can't count the apples in a seed. When you teach, you never know how many lives you will influence...you are teaching for eternity鈥 [Karen Jensen]
Term 4 continues to be a busy and exciting time at TLC. I鈥檓 looking forward to connecting with our Year 12 families when we celebrate the graduation of our wonderful Seniors in a few weeks 鈥 they have been a gift to our community. I am also looking forward to seeing our Year 7-11 families as we move into awards season; it will be an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the brilliant work that our students have done this year.
Till next Tidings, take care and stay safe.
Mr Mathew Stein
Head of Secondary
BComm, BEd, MEd, MACEL
mstein@thelakes.qld.edu.au
Our annual Prep - Year 12 鈥業magination鈥 Art Exhibition was a vibrant display of student learning in the Visual Arts. With an abundant array of both 2D and 3D artworks, it was a difficult task for our leadership team to choose their own favourite pieces. Special mention goes to the following students who were awarded one of the choice awards on the night:
Head of Primary鈥檚 Choice
Principal鈥檚 Choice
Head of Secondary鈥檚 Choice
Deputy Principal鈥檚 Choice
A reminder to our incoming Secondary families, that our Year 7 students will be attending Luther Heights Camp at Coolum Beach in Term 1, 2023 from Tuesday 31 January - Friday 3 February 2023. This is the second week of school. We are intentional in situating the Year 7 Camp at this time of the year in order to provide an opportunity to create a strong sense of belonging and connection. New students are also being welcomed into our community and this provides an opportunity for the cohort to collectively begin forming an identity which they will carry through their educational journey for years to come.
We are very proud to offer this camp to our families as it is a most vital part of our Secondary Thriving Through Transition program. Information about the camp can be found .
Our TLCCA took the opportunity to show our amazing teaching staff how much they mean to us! Working with children is an absolute calling and something that only very special members of our society have the skill to do. Thank you for the love, energy and commitment that you all show our TLC children each and every day. Knowing that they have the very best people surrounding them day in, day out, helping them to become the best people that they can is so important and our TLC families cannot express how much it means to us all!
Special thanks to Lee-Ann W, Kristina P and Rebecca K for all of the effort they have put in to the WTD lunch for our teaching staff. Your passion for making this day special for our TLC staff is unmatched! Thank you also to everyone who as contributed by helping with the set-up, pack-up and preparation of dishes.
As of 14 October 2022, it is no longer mandatory for Queenslanders to self-isolate at home when they test positive to COVID-19. Qld Health strongly recommends that anyone who tests positive to COVID:
If you get COVID-19, or have symptoms, follow the steps below. 蔓草社区se important steps protect yourself and others.
If you have a positive COVID-19 test using a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) at home, report your positive RAT result to Queensland Health. It鈥檚 likely you will have been in contact with other people while you were infectious. It's possible you have spread the virus to others (without knowing) in the 2 days before you had symptoms or found out you have COVID-19. If you have been in contact with anyone during that period, you need to tell them you have COVID-19 so they can monitor their own health and get tested if they feel unwell. This might include your workplace or the place you study, or if you have children, the school or childcare they go to.
Managing your symptoms and health
Most people who are fully vaccinated will be able to care for themselves at home, like you would for other viruses. You may have symptoms like a fever, cough, headache or a sore throat. You may feel unwell for a day or 2, and then start to feel better. Some fully vaccinated people will have no symptoms at all.
You should seek medical advice if you:
For more information:
, which replaces the Management of Diagnosed Cases of COVID-19 and Close Contacts Direction (No. 5).
蔓草社区 also provides information for those who have been in contact with a person who has tested positive to COVID-19.
At 蔓草社区, we continue to prioritise the safety of our students and staff so ask that parents/carers remain vigilant in ensuring their child does not attend school if unwell.
As the isolation restrictions for COVID19 ease, the number of people with respiratory symptoms in the community is increasing. For this reason, it is even more important to keep your child at home if they are unwell. We have seen an escalation in the number of children arriving at school who are already unwell and showing symptoms such as high temperatures, runny noses, nasty coughs, lethargy etc. Please help us to keep our TLC community safe and well. Thank you
What's on in November? | |
---|---|
Tuckshop Day
|
Fri 4 Nov
|
Yr 4 (2023) Instrument Trial Day
|
Fri 4 Nov
|
Yr 10 Dance
|
Fri 4 Nov
|
Volunteers Afternoon Tea
|
Thurs 10 Nov
|
Remembrance Day
|
Fri 11 Nov
|
Celebration of Sport
|
Fri 11 Nov
|
Prep 2023 Orientation
|
14-16 Nov
|
Board Chair's Dinner
|
Tues 15 Nov
|
Yr 12 Valedictory Service
|
Wed 16 Nov
|
Yr 12 Celebration Day
|
Thurs 17 Nov
|
Yr 12 Graduation & Special Awards
|
Fri 18 Nov
|
Yr 6 Celebration
|
Fri 18 Nov
|
Deputy Principal's Retirement Celebration
|
Mon 21 Nov
|
TLCCA Meeting
|
Tues 22 Nov
|
Prep-Yr 2 Swimming Carnival
|
Wed 23 Nov
|
Yr 7-11 Swimming Carnival
|
Thurs 24 Nov
|
Yr 3-6 Swimming Carnival
|
Fri 25 Nov
|
Prep-Yr 3 Christmas Celebration
|
Mon 28 Nov
|
P-6 TLC Factor
|
Wed 30 Nov
|
Yr 4 - 6 Awards Evening 5pm
|
Wed 30 Nov
|
Yr 7-11 Awards Evening 7pm
|
Wed 30 Nov
|
Term 4 Concludes
|
Fri 1 December
|
Term 1 Commences
|
Tues 24 Jan 2023
|
Kokoda - Free Digital Detox Program for ages 12-14 years
Invitation to attend the International Sport Summit: