My wife, Sylvia, and I had the wonderful opportunity to travel back to South Africa during the summer holidays. This trip allowed us to reconnect with family and friends but at the same time affirm how blessed we are to live in this fabulous country. Building in time to step away from the busyness and demands of daily work life should be a deliberate course of action as we consider our respective wellbeing journeys.

Congratulations to all our students on how well they have returned to school and settled in after being away from school for around 8 weeks. Thank you, parents, for your support and patience in this process. I need to use this opportunity to acknowledge the incredible job done by all the staff as they have prepared for the return of the students. The flexibility, professionalism, dedication to the task in hand, resilience and collaboration of the Concordia staff, mixed in with lots of laughter and humour, need to be applauded and acknowledged. A very big welcome is also extended to those staff members who are new to our community.

Concordia will again be a hive of activity as we plan for and implement the next exciting season on the College’s journey forward. In 2023, we're looking at:

• The ongoing implementation of a Contemporary Learning philosophy and framework at CLC. This will be done under the guidance of our 3 Directors of Campus and Contemporary Learning Team.
• The restructuring of our Sports Program under the guidance of Mr. Darron Skinner-Martin.
• Introducing a new Prep – Year 12 Pastoral Care Framework under the guidance of Mr. Tony Manteufel and the Pastoral Care Team.
• The introduction and sharing of the College’s Master Plan.
• Realigning our Learning Enrichment Program to ensure its consistency from Prep - Year 12 under the guidance of Mrs. Libby Scouller and supported by Mrs. Rowie Weier, across the Junior College, and Mrs. Sonya Holden at the Senior College.
• HSC and WSC Kindergartens and the HSC OSHC have now become LOCALLY MANAGED entities in 2023 – with these staff members becoming an integral part of College life.
• Launching SchoolTV - a digital, social, and emotional resource for our College families
• Wednesday SPARC Program at SSC – under the guidance of Mr. Jamie Pukallus.
• Refurbishment of gym/fitness area at SSC – completed in the next fortnight.

I am pleased to let you know that we have completed the review and update of our STRATEGIC PLAN for 2023 – 2025, Towards 2026. Thank you for your time, input and feedback in this process during 2022.This living and aspirational document also includes a new Vision Statement. I invite you to explore our new Strategic Plan, Towards 2026 which is now available on our website at Strategic Plan - Towards 2026. I look forward to working in partnership with our great team of staff, students and the wider community to achieve these goals.

Finding joy in Learning has prompted us to embrace a CONTEMPORARY approach to LEARNING, the LEARNER and the LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, which is now reflected in our Vision statement.

It is my privilege to announce our new vision statement which will guide our learning and living at Concordia over the coming years:

Inspiring lifelong learners, critical thinkers, and caring citizens in a Christian community.

As the school year gets underway, I would like to remind you of the strong open-door policy which I propagate. This relational and working commitment with you as a family is also extended to all members of the College’s Leadership Team. Please stay connected with us throughout the year.

I would like to wish everyone all the best for the new school year, and I hope to see as many of you throughout the year.

Have a safe weekend and week ahead.

Yours in Christ

Mr Anton Prinsloo
Head of College

Quote of the week: The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team. [Phil Jackson]

Our theme for this year is “Embrace the possibilities” – it builds on last year’s theme “Imagine the possibilities” - and encourages all of us to step out in faith, to see and take hold of the possibilities God places before us. A suitable theme also for this stage in the life of our College, which is 77 years old this year and we are entering an exciting phase of master planning, developing our journey into contemporary learning, renewing our approach to service learning and seeking to continue to grow in our provision of a holistic education that prepares our students well for the world they live in.

We are reminded that we can do all this through him who gives us strength (Phil 4:13), namely Christ, who is our Lord and guide at Concordia.

At our opening service today we explored what Embracing the Possibilities might look like, following the Old Testament example of Abram, who accepted God’s call and left his home on the promise of a blessing. And what a story that started! You can read about it in the book of Genesis from chapter 12 onwards. We will explore this further this term in our chapels.

I certainly pray that we may have open eyes, minds and hearts to the possibilities and opportunities God places before us, and the courage to step out and take hold of them as we continue to work together, to grow as community and to welcome and include all whom God has placed here together.

May 2023 bring you blessings and may you be able to embrace possibilities and draw strength and comfort from the God who is with us in all situations (Matthew 20:20).

Pastor Thomas Böhmert
College Pastor

In my new role, I will be working to ensure that Concordia is reaching its full potential and that students are receiving the best education possible. I will also be responsible for marketing and enrolment strategies, helping to bring more students to the school and further improving its reputation.

I am confident that my experience and enthusiasm will help to further develop Concordia’s success and reputation.

I look forward to working with you all and helping to make Concordia Lutheran College School the best it can be.

Mrs Belinda Sanders Director of Marketing & Enrolments

The word ‘pastor’ is the Latin word for shepherd. Jesus portrays himself as the ‘good shepherd’ who is ready to die for his sheep (John 10:11). Jesus searches for the lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7) to bring the lost sheep back into the protection of the whole flock. All of this is part of the concept of ‘pastoral care’. Throughout the year I will be working closely with the Pastoral Care Team to support student wellbeing and guide them within their education. We will also assist families with any student concerns and provide them with the necessary information to develop student wellbeing both at school and at home.

Whether it is starting school for the first time, moving up to a higher grade or embarking on a journey through secondary school, there is no doubt that any school transition is a very exciting time for students and families. However, transitioning can be an ongoing process. It can continue long after students have entered their new environment and they may encounter difficulties at different stages.

To assist with this transition, the articles below provide strategies on how to reduce stress and anxiety levels. Feel free to take some time to read and reflect upon these topics. If you have any concerns about your child, then please contact a myself or a member of the Pastoral Care Team for further support.

Survival tips for high school: https://concordia.qld.schooltv.me/newsletter-article/7273/52

Practical advice for starting secondary school: https://concordia.qld.schooltv.me/newsletter-article/7272/52

Transition to high school: a mother’s perspective: https://concordia.qld.schooltv.me/newsletter-article/7274/52

God Bless!

Mr Tony Manteufel Director of Pastoral Care

I ask that you watch and support all games with enthusiasm, passion, and respect. As a competitive person, I believe we should strive for excellence, but our actions and desire to win should never compromise our personal and College values. Personal and team success will come from training, mental preparation and recovery. This teaches our students that success comes from hard work, learning from mistakes, leadership skills, maintaining self-control during emotional times, and compromising personal desires and preferred positions for the team.

Sporting coaches and HPE teachers often provide role models and developmental relationships that are influential in our student’s holistic wellbeing. Our College theme fits perfectly with our current sporting program. I encourage parents/carers and students to “Embrace the Possibilities” that sport can provide. This will help students feel valued, listened to, and cared for, and will make valuable contributions to our community.

The College Swimming Carnival preparations are underway. All parents/carers and students have been sent an email to nominate for races. This is our first opportunity to come together as a community and support our event. I encourage students to attend and compete with maximal effort. The QCIS Swimming Carnival will be a trial and if selected, students should attend and do their best.

I think Concordia College can win if we show up with a desire to compete and our best team attends! I have sent a few emails this week and I ask that students check the daily notices regularly. I look forward to meeting and working with you to “Embrace the [Sporting] Possibilities” that 2023 will bring.

Mr Darron Skinner-Martin
Head of Department- Health, Physical Education and Sport

Even though we have only had three days of school, we have hit the ground running with our Ready, Set, Go afternoons which were held on Monday and our whole College Opening Service was held at Stephen Street Campus today. The Prep – Year 2 classes conducted their Parent Information sessions last week to share details of the day to day running of their classrooms, and next week our Year 3-6 classes will hold their Parent Information Sessions on Tuesday afternoon. These sessions are invaluable, and we encourage you to attend. If you are unable to attend, there will be notes sent home via email afterwards.

We encourage communication between school and home at Concordia as it is important for us to build an understanding of every student in our care. Seesaw is a wonderful way for you to see the work and activities your child is doing at school and can sometimes be used as a tool for communicating with teachers. If there is a simple message that needs to be sent to your teacher with regards to things like swimming, speaking programs or uniform for the day, please feel free to use Seesaw. To communicate all important information with teachers, please send an email or contact your Campus Reception to make an appointment to sit down and speak to them.

As always, a school year is always full of great learning and many exciting events. After “Imagining the Possibilities” being our theme for 2022, this year we are “Embracing the Possibilities”. We look forward to sharing our Junior College journey with you all throughout the year and wish you all the best for Term 1.

Click here to view HSC's Events for Term 1, Week 2.
Click here to view WSC's Events for Term 1, Week 2.

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

Afternoon Drive Through will be divided across the following two locations:

Stedman - Afternoon pick up will be via The Shed Drive Through. - Please enter by turning left into The Shed Drive Through from Warwick Street and exiting by turning left onto Warwick Street again. - There will be no right turn.

Altus and Kessler - Students in Altus and Kessler will be in the Drive Through off Yaldwyn Street. - Please enter the Drive Through by turning left on Yaldwyn Street and exit by turning left onto Warwick Street.

Things to note: - Afternoon Drive Through will be supervised until 3.30pm each day. * If you have older students, and it fits with your after-school activities, please leave your afternoon pick up until at least 3.15pm to assist with congestion. If your children are not in the Drive Through when you arrive, you will be asked to do a lap so we can keep the flow of traffic moving. - If you are walking your students into the school grounds please do not walk through the Drive Through. For safety reasons, all pedestrians must walk alongside the Kindy fence to the top of the Drive Through and then use the crossing. - If you are a new family or have a new vehicle please use our Look Out Cards. These are helpful to staff in recognising vehicles in the Drive Through.

If you have any further questions about our Drive Through procedure, please don’t hesitate to contact Reception.

I wish to sincerely thank all the staff for their early positivity and commitment as we have prepared for our students return. I am humbled and encouraged by the passion and dedication shown by our staff in the way that they consider the needs of all learners and look for every opportunity to deeply engage students in the curriculum. Thank you especially to our new staff who have taken like a duck to water in embracing our Concordia values and approach to education.

On Wednesday we held our Year 12 Leadership Ceremony, where Year 12 students received their leadership ties, and our elected leaders were presented with their badges. In 2023 we have started a new tradition within this ceremony, where parents and carers are invited to present the ties and badges to their child, or ask a staff member to do this on their behalf. The role of families in supporting their child throughout their years of schooling cannot be underestimated, and so to honour this through this ceremony felt only fitting. Based on the emotion and feeling within the Chapel, I can see this will be a tradition that will be in place for many years to come.

Next Monday 30 January we will be holding a ceremony with our Year 9 students to present the Year 9 elected leaders with their badges. Congratulations to all of our leaders for their appointments – I have no doubt we will see many great things from these students as they bring student voice to our events and decision-making.

In terms of the year ahead, there is a great sense of anticipation as we implement some exciting changes to our Pastoral Care and extra-curricular program. These changes include designated year level pastoral care lessons based on engaging evidence-based resources, Vertical Home Class groups, and the introduction of SPARC (Sporting, Performance, Altruistic, Recreational and Creative) activities on Wednesday afternoons. These changes will help target our programs towards the specific needs and interests of each student, while continuing to maintain some of our signature programs such as Year 11/Year 7 Peer Support.

I look forward to providing these weekly updates and sharing more about all of the things happening at Concordia.

God’s Blessings for the 2023 school year.

Yours in faith,

Mr Jamie Pukallus
Director of Campus