ConcordiaLutheranCollege

Monday 21 November to Friday 25 November 2022

From the Head of College

Dear Parents and Caregivers

What a very busy time of year we find ourselves in as we navigate the many end-of-year events happening across our College. Both Junior College campuses hosted excellent Year 6 Celebration Dinners. Thank you to these students’ parents and family members for your role in supporting and getting your student[s] ready on the night. The camaraderie, selfless attitudes and confidence of every student is what stood out for me from both nights. Thank you again to these families for your partnership with us and for lending your student to us for this part of their journey. Thank you to Mrs Jackie Minnikin, Mrs Juanetta Priest and their staff for all the work done in planning and hosting these two events as well as leading your staff by example every day.

On Wednesday we wrapped up the long goodbye with our 2022 Year 12 students by hosting a delicious brunch in the pear-shaped garden. This was a fitting send-off to the class of 2022, with many already engaged in full-time, part-time or casual work arrangements, as we celebrated the successful completion of their external exams. We now look forward to following their respective journeys, successes and achievements in the years to come. To these young adults, Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. [Henry Thoreau]. God bless and do stay connected with Concordia.

What a wonderful Junior College Swimming Carnival was had yesterday. It was action-packed, loud, fun and very well supported by many parents – thank you for the massive attendance! The students must be congratulated on how well they participated and many “courageously took the plunge” and embraced the possibilities which the carnival presented. Congratulations to those swimmers who shone brightly, achieved PBs, broke a record or two and have earned a spot on the swimming team for 2023. I hope that for many of these swimmers, they can see the benefits of the many squad sessions which they put in. Thank you to Mr Darryl Fry and Mr Troy Chandler, from Concordia Turbo Jets, for all the work which went into hosting such a successful carnival. Thank you to those parents, Senior College students and staff who supported the event either as officials or supervisors.

This coming Monday will see Concordia host our Years 6 to 11 Presentation Night at the Empire Theatre. This will present us with a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the hard work and effort of these learners. All College families are encouraged to attend this celebratory night to give your student a wonderful opportunity to be part of this rite of passage. I look forward to seeing you there on the night. Both Junior College campuses will also be putting on their annual end-of year Musicals. Warwick Street Campus will be entertaining us on Tuesday night, while Hume Street Campus will be front and centre on Thursday night. Good luck to the staff and students as you put the finishing touches to these fine productions – see you there!

I would like to extend a personal invitation to every family to attend the closing service and final Chapel service at your child’s campus next week on Friday. This is a wonderful opportunity to be part of recognising a year of hard work, friendships, collaboration and imagining the possibilities. Each Chapel service will also include a time to slow down and reflect on the upcoming Christmas season and the birth of Jesus.

Wishing everyone a safe weekend and buckle in for the ride next week.

Yours in Christ

Mr Anton Prinsloo
Head of College

Quote of the Week: A lot of successful people are risk-takers. Unless you are willing to do that…to have a go, fail miserably and have another go, success won’t happen. [Phillip Adams]

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From the College Pastor

Advent!

It’s that time of the year again as we near December and the lead up busy-ness to Christmas.

The church year inserts a special season before Christmas, called Advent – a season of preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth, and today also a reminder that we are preparing for the resurrected and ascended Jesus’ return.

Advent starts just as the students finish the school year, the First of Advent this year is Sunday 27 November, leading into the four week (Sunday) period of preparation for Christmas.

I guess for many that means panic stations, presents, food, parties… At least school will be finished... But perhaps this is a misunderstanding of Advent. The Latin term means “coming” and this season is the time of preparation for Christmas - the coming (or birth) of Jesus, the Christ. The season started to be observed from the 4^th century onwards in various ways.

Interestingly, at Jesus’ birth nothing was ready – his parents could barely find accommodation, and an animal trough had to make do for a cradle, the shepherds were totally surprised and came to the stable without preparation time – only perhaps the wise men or stargazers from the East had time to set up a caravan and gather some suitable presents and get ready. But they were late, very late, anyway.

So, how do we prepare for Christmas?

Maybe the Mary and Martha story gives us some idea (Luke 10:38-42) – while Martha was busy running around, Mary chose to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen – and when her sister scolded her for it, Martha was the one reprimanded by Jesus (ever so gently).

Don’t get me wrong, we need the Martha’s of this world, otherwise nothing would happen, certainly no Christmas lunch. But perhaps this story is actually not about two people but about each of us. There is a time for Martha to come to the fore and there are times for Mary as well. We need to be both. We need time to listen and be, and time to do, times to give and times to receive.

Advent is a reminder that Jesus came to give, ultimately himself – to us, and we are invited to receive. But to receive we need to be open to receive, to have time to receive, to be aware that we are in need to receive… Advent is an invitation to do that, to prepare for Jesus’ arrival into our world, our lives, as we celebrate yet again his birthday on Christmas Day. Advent is a time to reflect and become still in the presence of God, who seeks to speak peace into our lives.

And things like Advent wreaths, candles, decorations, special foods are meant to help us on this journey.

I pray that you may find times for reflection and peace in the midst of this busy season.

Pastor Thomas Böhmert
College Pastor

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Community News

2022 Presentation Evening

Save the date!

Our 2023 musical is We Will Rock You and it’s time to mark the following dates in your calendars.

Performance dates are Thurday 18 May, Friday 19 May and Saturday 20 May 2023.

Don’t miss out on seeing this amazing show performed by our incredibly talented CLC students.

Get ready to rock!

Project Based Learning at Concordia

Junior College

From the Junior College Directors

This week has seen us finish our 2023 Year 6 Leadership interviews for all positions. We would like to congratulate all of our 2023 Year 6’s. You are a strong group of students, and we are looking forward to working with you to implement some of your ideas to enhance our Campuses. We will have a special assembly Friday 25 November at 1.45pm to present badges to all 2023 Year 6 leaders.

Campus Captains
Joshua Dolley - HSC
Atoor Jok - HSC
Arabella Knopke - WSC
Flynn Weier - WSC

Cultural Captains
Alyx Falks - WSC
Isaac Maden - HSC
Lewis Sippel - WSC
Geogia Warman - HSC

Environment Captains
Skye Henning - HSC
Cara Holzknecht - WSC
Jimmy O'Neill - WSC
Hannah Warman - HSC

Faith Captains
Grace Glover - HSC
Stella Ramia - HSC
Chloe Ringelstein - WSC
Ffion Wolff - WSC

IT Captains
Malakai Bell - HSC
Samuel Dignon - HSC
Callum Hills - WSC
Sebastian Millett - WSC

Altus House Captain
Parun Benham - WSC
Marcus Dealtry - HSC
Declan Staib - WSC
Aahana Tamang - HSC

Kessler House Captain
Maya du Toit - WSC
Will Klein - HSC
Charlie Lowis - HSC
Makenzie Morris - WSC

Stedman House Captain
Kelvin Huang - HSC
Nicole Plumb - HSC
Thomas Wise - WSC
Andrew Ye - WSC

What an outstanding day we had for our swimming carnival!! Congratulations to all swimmers and a huge thank you to everyone who assisted on the day. Congratulations to ALTUS for winning. A full report of the results will be in next week’s The Week Ahead.

We would like to take a moment to send a special message to our Year 6 students…
Thank you for being our Year 6 leaders this year. We believe that a strong foundation has been laid and trust you leave us with many fond memories of your years at Concordia. We were delighted to take a trip down memory lane with you at your Year 6 Dinner. You have grown into young people of real character. Don’t forget to come back occasionally and say hello to all of us. We wish you all the very best as you move into the next phase of your schooling. We look forward to sharing in our Year 6 Final Assembly on Thursday 25 November at 1.45pm.

Please note … the new amended time of 1.45pm instead of 2pm.

Week 8 will also be a big week of celebrations. The Week Ahead table found below and on each campuses section, will outline the events for each day. Please read so that you are aware of what is happening each day. Year 6’s please check your email for details of events that will involve your and/or your child.

Click here to view HSC's Events for Term 4, Week 8.
Click here to view WSC's Events for Term 4, Week 8.

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

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Outside School Hours Care

Stephen Street Campus

From the Director of Campus

As we enter our final week of school for 2022, it is hard to believe how quickly we have arrived at this moment. So much happens in a school calendar within a year, and I am so proud of all our students for how they have navigated another year with COVID, flood and other disruptions. It is fitting that our final week will be kickstarted with our Years 6 to 11 Awards and Recognition Evening at Empire Theatre on Monday evening. It has been incredible to see the achievements of our students as award nominations have come in. It is often very difficult to choose a final student for certain awards given the breadth and depth of talent on display at Concordia. We encourage all students, whether they will be receiving an award or not, to attend the ceremony and join the celebration of our amazing students.

Year 7/8 Arts PBL Event
Last Friday evening I was privileged to attend the Year 7 and 8 Arts Project Based Learning (PBL) event held in our Lecture Theatre. Students and their parents attended to be a part of this showcase event, where students performed pieces under the theme of Disney. The talent and confidence on display was remarkable given the young age of the performers. Some students chose a creative visual art medium to deliver their Disney inspired product, and these were also displayed for our visitors. I wish to thank the Arts Department, and particularly Ms Jess Merretz, Mr Neil Roche-Kelly, Ms Christina Marangelli, and Ms Holly Kiehne for their teaching and preparation that lead to this event.

Year 12 Farewell Brunch
It was a lovely atmosphere Wednesday morning as we provided one final opportunity for our Year 12s to come together for a farewell brunch in the pear-shaped garden. We are so grateful for the opportunity to educate this fine group of young people and see their progress and successful completion of their studies. We look forward to hearing about their future endeavours and have encouraged them to touch base with us in the future to share their life story as it unfolds.

Year 11 Exam Block
Next week our Year 11 students will have some of their first Internal Assessment tasks. The grades from these tasks will go towards their exit results at the end of Year 12. As always, we ask students to take care of themselves physically, mentally and spiritually during this time. It is important that students continue to eat healthy, get some exercise and sleep well to promote their wellbeing. All the best to the Year 11s as they enter this week. During this exam block students will attend normal classes whenever they are not completing an exam.

The coming week will also be full of celebrations and end of year activities. We look forward to this opportunity to close the year on a high as we look forward to the holiday season ahead.

Have a great week.

Yours in faith,

Mr Jamie Pukallus
Director of Campus

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The Edge Café

This is your last opportunity in 2022 to start your week off on the right foot with a freshly prepared coffee, hot chocolate or Chai Latte from The Edge Café.

The Café is open Monday morning 8am to 9.15am.

All beverages are one size and a bargain $3 each (Soy, almond milk + 50c). Payment via MSA or EFTPOS, no cash.

Grab a Bargain!

World's Greatest Shave

On 22 November, our incredible team of fundraisers will be shaving, cutting, and colouring their hair to raise funds for the Leukaemia Foundation. Originally, our team started their journey with a goal of $5000, but have unexpectedly been surprised by the amount of donations and messages they have received to bring them to the point they are at now.

As a consequence, we have increased the goal to $8000. An amazing $7496 has been raised as of Thursday. To help reach this goal, the Student Council will have drinks and chocolates for sale (prices below), as well as the opportunity to colour their hair with temporary hair colour with all money to Worlds’ Greatest Shave.

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Tennis 2023

Boarding

Boarding News

Hello to all our Boarder families.

It's coming up to the last week and our students are really looking forward to winding down and enjoying some offsite activities outside of the classroom and returning home for the Christmas holidays.

Many have started with their dorm pack downs and contemplating a new room for next year. Our Senior students in Years 10, 11 and 12 will again be situated on the top floor leaving the bottom floor for our Junior students. We look forward to welcoming our new students in 2023.

On Sunday, our students will be heading offsite for a mystery activity and then that night our boarders will be enjoying their Christmas dinner with staff from school and boarding. Santa Claus will be dropping in to run the much-loved Secret Santa. Keep an eye out for our many photos in next week's edition.

Last weekend the students played Mini Golf and went to the movies to watch Black Panther. Many thanks to Troy who gave up his time to open the school pool so as our students could enjoy a swim.

Andrew and I would also like to welcome our new Tutor, Marlin, who has commenced work in the boys' house on Wednesday. Marlin is currently studying a Diploma in Education.

Hope you all enjoy the photos this week.

Take care and stay safe while travelling.

Mrs Maureen Taurima
Girls' Houseparent