I would like to acknowledge and thank the parents and caregivers of these students for the support and encouragement which you have given your student and the College. Thank you to Parent Connect groups who assisted across the various shows last week/end. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge our sponsors, some of which are College families, for their generosity in contributing towards the costs which come with putting on a musical of this magnitude. Finally, I need to thank the Arts Department, who were wonderfully supported by the rest of the staff at different times and across a range of areas, for the time, energy, wisdom, guidance and rich opportunities offered to our students throughout this time. The positive long-lasting affect which this experience will have on the students involved is immeasurable.

During a recent conversation with a Principal colleague, he shared with me that a family had come seeking advice and a bit of help on how to walk and talk their student through what had been a disappointing sports event. The context was that the student had suffered an injury earlier in the season, wasn’t in top shape for the event and was really struggling to come to terms with the outcome of the carnival. Teaching our children to cope with disappointments is an important aspect of their emotional development. Disappointments, as we have come to learn as adults, are a natural part of life and learning how to handle them can help our children to develop resilience and problem-solving skills. On returning to my office, I found the following article and advice which I sent to my colleague to share with this particular family.

• Help your children identify the emotions they feel and express them in an acceptable way. Keep a clear head too as sometimes we get emotional too and logic goes out the window. The simple act of remaining calm will defuse some of your child’s negative feelings.
• Give them an opportunity to talk about why they think things didn’t go the way they expected them to go. This way they can get it out of their system and see the reasons behind their feelings of disappointment. Venting to a trusted adult can be a helpful release.
• Celebrate having a go as if it were a win. Give as much praise for having a go as you would for winning. It’s important that they don’t see us living our missed opportunities through them. What’s important is the effort they put in and your positive attitude. Adapt these suggestions to suit your child’s age and personality. The fact that they should keep on trying is an equally important life lesson.
• Focus on strengths and progress. Remind your child of their strengths and previous achievements to boost their self-esteem. Help them recognise that disappointments are temporary setbacks and that they have the ability and future opportunities to bounce back and try again.
• Hugs and words of encouragement can ease the pain of disappointment.
• When people are gushing about one child’s achievements, siblings can feel sorry for themselves. Raise your children to congratulate each other. Being able to put your own disappointment aside to be generous to others is a sign of maturity.
• Medals and certificates can cause upset when a child misses out, especially for younger children. Sometimes they just want to have something to show for all the hard work and effort they have put in. That’s when we as parents can find a special treat to show that we recognise our child’s good work.
• Children watch how we respond to failures in our own life. It’s helpful sometimes to share your disappointment and show them how you have learnt from the experience.
• Learning to lose at something with grace will eventually help your child develop into a more resilient person in life. Congratulate them on handling a setback so well.
• Teach self-calming skills. This may be going outside to kick a ball, listening to their favourite music, deep breathing, having a chat, getting a hug or going for a walk.

Remember that each of our children is unique and the coping strategies which work for one may not work for another.

This weekend we will be hosting, and I look forward to meeting, 13 prospective students who will be attending our Boarder Experience Weekend. Thank you in advance to the Marketing and Enrolments Team who have worked hard to secure this strong number of visiting students as well as our Boarding Staff who have been planning the program for this. Being a relatively small Boarding School, Concordia has the distinct advantage of being able to offer a very intimate boutique-style home-away-from-home experience for our boarding students. The catch phrase of “every student is fully known and fully loved”, rings so true in this area of College life.

It is wonderful to see Concordia shining and leaving its mark across so many areas of school life and learning in Toowoomba. Congratulations to our Junior College Chess Teams on a very successful IPHSA Chess Tournament which was hosted at our Hume Street Campus. Our Concordia 1 Team placed 2^nd out of 12 teams. These students next tournament is the Toowoomba District Primary Schools invitational chess tournament in June. Good luck to these students.

We are also incredibly proud of two of our Senior College students, Max M. [Year 8] and Dinuk W [Year 9] who have been selected to take part in the Queensland Maths Pre-Olympiad Program. They were chosen out of 160 Year 8 students across the state to be part of this enrichment program. Well done to these young men!

Safe travels to our Year 5 and 8 students as they head off to their respective camps next week. I am looking forward to spending some time with the Year 8s at Camp Laurence next week. Beanies and other layers of warm clothing will be the order of the day for the students and adults in attendance.

Wishing everyone a relaxing weekend.

Yours in Christ

Mr Anton Prinsloo
Head of College

Quote of the week: It is better to walk alone, than with a crowd going in the wrong direction. [Dane Grant]

The end of a semester is a time to take stock and reflect what went well, what challenges did come our way, what did we learn, what blessings were poured out upon us.

What new things have you learned about our world, about yourself, about your friends and classmates? What are you thankful for and how are you going to express that thanks?

Now, I am aware that sometimes things don’t go our way: we miss a crucial point in a game, we hadn’t prepared as well as we could and fluked that test, we didn’t quite achieve the mark we had hoped for in an assignment or maybe just missed out on an effort award. But this does not mean we are failures. It just means we missed a point in a game, we fluked a test, we didn’t quite get the result we wanted. This happens in life and is an opportunity to learn. CS Lewis put it this way: “Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.” Next time I will prepare more thoroughly, I might ask my teacher for feedback and help, I might train a little more - and see what happens. In my experience our efforts don’t always lead to the desired result, but without effort and application we cannot improve and grow.

So, failures are not the end of the road but learnings along the way, opportunities to grow, to find ways to get up and go again, to grow in resilience and perhaps better understand others who may be experiencing such things.

Always remember: in the end your value or worth is not tied up in how well we you in this test or that game but in the God who created you, who made you special, who gifted you with unique gifts that you’ll take lifetime to discover and develop, and who loves you so much that he was willing to put his life on the line so that you might have life, full, fulfilling, hopeful life (John 10:10).

And this loving God invites you now to take a time of rest, a break from the busyness and hard work, to be refreshed and recover and so prepare for the next term and semester, the next round of work and learning and growth. The prophet Jeremiah in the context of the Israelites in exile and exhaustion speaks these words of promise: I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” (Jeremiah 21:25)

Have a restful and refreshing holiday, and may our Lord keep you safe until we meet again in Term 3!

God Bless.

Pastor Thomas Böhmert
College Pastor

Positive friendships are an important part of the journey to adulthood. Adult carers can support their child or teenager by providing guidance in the many social and emotional skills required for a healthy relationship. This will help them to obtain, retain and maintain friendships.

To have good friends, it is first important to be a good friend. Reach Out suggests the following skills can be beneficial in forming and maintaining good friendships:

• Listen - Take the time to listen. Try to understand the situation from your friend’s perspective. Ask open questions and make sure your body language is open and relaxed (face them, make eye contact, and nod)
• Get physical - Hugs, smiles or even high-fives are a great way to show you care.
• Stay in touch - Technology (phones, laptops, and tablets etc.) makes it easy to keep in touch with friends – even if they don’t live close by.
• Tell them how you feel - Every now and then, remember to tell your friends you care about them or appreciate them.
• Be willing to make the tough calls when needed - If a friend does come to you for help, or you think your friend might need help, be prepared to help them seek the assistance they need.

However, not all friendships are regarded as positive. Sometimes young people develop negative or toxic friendships. Therefore, it is also important for them to learn how to identify, avoid or deal with such a friendship.

In this month’s edition of SchoolTV, adult carers can learn how to support their young person’s friendship so that they experience a sense of belonging. The videos provided in the link below, address a range of issues that students may be experiencing when navigating friendships. SchoolTV offers a range of resources and suggestions on how to help students to form positive, long-lasting friendships. Further resources will be provided throughout the next month as part of our Wellness Wednesday series.

SchoolTV: Friendship & Belonging

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered and we always welcome your feedback. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact a member of our Pastoral Care Team for further information or seek medical or professional help.

God Bless!

Mr Tony Manteufel
Director of Pastoral Care and Wellbeing

As the Director of Marketing, I couldn’t be prouder of the College’s achievements, and I am eager to continue sharing the Concordia story with the world. This year’s Boarders Experience Weekend (May 26th - 28th) is sure to be an exciting opportunity for prospective families to experience the unique atmosphere of the College. During this event, families will be able to take part in various activities and events, as well as getting to meet the College's incredible boarding staff. Additionally, this event will allow families to get a snapshot of life as a Concordia boarder, and to see first-hand what makes our College such a special place.

Not only has the College seen tremendous success in the performing arts, but the students have also been doing particularly well in sport and the local eisteddfod. We encourage everyone to stay up to date with our achievements by following our social media pages.

With the holidays quickly approaching, we have also seen a surge in demand for student placements for the upcoming school year starting in 2024. As a result, we are asking any external families, who are interested in attending Concordia to contact our office as soon as possible to secure a place in next year’s cohort. Any internal families who may have changed their plans for next year should also contact the College.

This week I have personally been reminded that each and every one of us has a special gift to offer. There are countless gifts; some of which might not be celebrated by society, but they all have the potential to positively impact the lives of others. Whether it’s a calming presence, or even a small smile to brighten a stranger’s day, all of these little acts have the power to bring love and joy into the world.

As May ends, we look forward to another successful month at Concordia Lutheran College!

Ms Belinda Sanders
Director of Marketing & Enrolments

Congratulations to the following students who participated:

Sean Choi, Joon Choi, Seth Johansen, Samuel Johnson, Levi Johansen, Emmett Merretz, Luca Blyth, Brendon Lai, Ruby Royal, Erin Otto, Aurora Woldsnes, Michael Zhou, Lucia Totenhofer, Nate Sexton, Sonya Thien, Elaine Thien, Alexander Millet, Annabelle Millet, Jaida Heilig.

The following students also received awards from their performances in their areas (1st, 2nd, 3rd or Highly Commended).
Sean Choi, Levi Johansen, Luca Blyth, Brendon Lai, Ruby Royal, Erin Otto, Michael Zhou, Lucia Totenhofer, Sonya Thien, Elaine Thien, Alexander Millet, Annabelle Millet, Jaida Heilig.

We are also happy to report our Staffing Update
Chaplain – at the beginning of this term, Chappy Kei started with us. Kei is an Honours of Psychology UQ graduate, and we have welcomed her input into our campuses. Each week, Kei joins us in the classrooms and sometimes takes students in small groups to work on activities. We are looking forward to getting to know Chappy Kei more as the term progresses.

HSC Prep Learning Assistant – Mrs Sarah Kelly will start with us in Term 3. Currently, Sarah works with Our Lady of Lourdes as a Learning Assistant in the Early Years. We look forward to welcoming her to our campus and thank Mrs Jenn Hinz for working with us for most of Term 2.

HSC Year 5 Teacher – We also look forward to welcoming Mrs Cathryn Owen as she joins us in Term 3. Cathryn is currently teaching at Gatton’s Peace Lutheran School. We are very blessed to have Miss Fiona Collingwood working with our Year 5’s although thoroughly miss having her on our supply list. Thank you, Miss Collingwood for spending Term 2 with our Year 5’s.

We regret to pass on that our amazing Karen Maben, Junior College Library Coordinator will be finishing with us at the end of this term. We would love to acknowledge Karen’s service to our community and thank her for the amazing work she has done in our libraries. Please keep Karen in your prayers during this time of transition and we wish her well in her future endeavours. The College is now undertaking a recruitment process to fill this position in readiness for Term 3.

Parent Teacher Interviews
This is our reporting term with Parent Teacher Interviews on offer. Schedules for this will be sent home soon. We do value the working relationship between home and school and always look forward to sharing a short time together looking at your child’s learning journey.

Blessings for the weekend and remainder of the term.

Click here to view HSC's Events for Term 2, Week 7.
Click here to view WSC's Events for Term 2, Week 7.

Mrs Juanetta Priest - Director of Campus (Hume Street)
Mrs Jackie Minnikin - Director of Campus (Warwick Street)

Students have worked individually and in teams to

• research information, including First Nations perspectives,
• write a narrative and a persuasive demonstrating their knowledge and understanding, and to
• design and construct an 8 hole mini putt putt golf course with each hole representing a State or Territory of Australia and the famous landmarks to support this.

During Friday 2 June, students from HSC will be invited to come and play a round of mini golf through the day. This will give the students the opportunity to share their learning with their school mates.

We would like to invite you to share in the Year 3 learning and are looking to open the Mini Golf Course to parents from 2.30pm to 4pm. Can you please click here to let us know:

1. If you are able to come
2. If your child is able to stay until 4pm. If your child needs to go at the normal end of school time, that is fine. We will have them packed and in the pick up zone as usual.

We look forward to sharing this term's learning with you.

It's been an outstanding term so far for the College, with our talented athletes and performers showcasing their skills and dedication in various fields. From the triumphs in QCIS Cross Country to significant achievements in Cricket and AFL, our students have proven once again that they are a force to be reckoned with.

Not only have our students shone on the sports field, but they have also wowed audiences on the stage. The recent College production of "We Will Rock You" was an enormous success, captivating the audience with its outstanding performances. The level of talent and professionalism displayed by our students was nothing short of extraordinary. Countless hours of rehearsals and hard work led to a polished and awe-inspiring performance, leaving everyone wanting more and questioning whether this truly was a school rather than professional musical. On a personal note, my family and I attended the Friday night performance, and my eight-year-old daughter spent the entire show literally on the edge of her seat. The quality of the production was so high that she struggled to comprehend that I could possibly know and teach the lead performers given their stardom in her eyes! Our whole College commends the cast, crew, and dedicated staff who helped bring this musical to life. I also want recognise the support of our families, who have supported not only their own children, but created a collective family atmosphere for the musical group from attendance at rehearsals through to the final bump-out.

Looking ahead, we are excited to announce the upcoming Year 8 camp next week at Camp Laurence - Lake Moogerah. This highly anticipated event offers our students a unique opportunity to develop personal resilience, foster team spirit, and enhance problem-solving skills. Through a range of challenging activities and outdoor adventures, our Year 8 students will learn the value of perseverance and teamwork that will serve them well before the greater challenge of Googa in their following year. We encourage them to embrace this experience wholeheartedly, as it will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on their personal growth and development. I wish to thank Mrs Roslyn Cook for her organisation of this camp, along with all staff who will be in attendance during the four days.

In preparation for next term’s QCIS and TSSS Track and Field competitions, we have identified a squad of students who will be given the opportunity to participate in before school and SPARC training sessions. These sessions will help further develop the tremendous skill levels of our athletes, with access to high quality coaching in specific events.

In the coming weeks we will be finalising our Semester 1 academic reports to provide the latest information on student progress. We continue to see exceptional results from our students in their academics, only further confirming the wonderful learning environment that is being created at Concordia.

Have a great week.

Yours in faith,

Mr Jamie Pukallus
Director of Campus

Henry did a fantastic job in the dance team. He surprised us all with his flicks and tricks.

The winter weather has really set in, and the days are becoming shorter. Everyone one has pulled out the winter woollies. Our sports track suits should be in the uniform shop within a couple of weeks.

We are having our Boarder Experience weekend which commenced today, Friday, and it is looking very promising with 13 students attending. We are pleased to say that a few of these young children have parents who are old girls. Hence mum will be sharing all there is to know about Boarding life. Both Andrew and I along with our staff are aiming to give these students a wonderful view of boarding.

Our current students are looking forward to having some new faces in the dorm.

Last Friday night we all went to Laser Force with the Emmanuel Lutheran Fellowship Youth Group and our students had a great time. Pastor Nathan enjoyed himself. Thank you for the invitation and we look forward to our indoor Bowls night coming up in a couple of weeks.

It was great to have a couple of our Old Girls pop in on the weekend, Carolyn (2021) and Zimmi (2020). As a housemother it is so rewarding when they take the time to call in for a chat and a cuppa.

The boys also met up with Bradley and Jacob. Friends for life.

That’s all for this week and we all look forward to Week 7.

Hope you all enjoy our pics.

Mrs Maureen Taurima and Mr Andrew Bull
Boarding Houseparents