Welcome Back
Welcome back to all our families. Finding ourselves in the middle of several long weekends, I trust that you were able to spend some time over Easter with family and friends. This past weekend saw ANZAC Day and the return of dawn services around the country. I know many families attended in different locations. Our College was represented by some of our Captains and leaders in laying a wreath at the Gaythorne RSL ANZAC Day Ceremony, along with quite a number of other students who came along to be part of the march and service. Thank you to all those students, staff and families who attended on behalf of the College to be a part of the event.
Buildings
I mentioned, late last year, the preparations that the College was making for the construction of a Multi-Purpose Hall (think a ‘Conference Centre’ kind of space), along with three other classroom spaces, to commence later this year. Very excitedly, we have now received approval from Moreton Bay Regional Council to proceed with the process. We are very, very close to finalising plans for issue to tender and we will hopefully be beginning the tender process for construction in the next fortnight. As I’m sure many of you are aware, the construction process across Queensland and the rest of the country is a very different environment to pre-COVID. So, I won’t go so far as to suggest we can guess completion timeframes with much certainty at this stage, but construction will start in the second half of this year, and I would love to think we will be about ready to use it around 12 months from now.
Restoratively, our classrooms on the Junior Campus that were water damaged last term are coming along well and have had new plasterboard going back in just this week. Drainage has also been significantly upgraded behind the building which should hopefully mitigate any future issues for this building. The Prep playground is also well underway with both a repair and an upgrade and is looking fantastic already – even without the grass and soft fall being completed.
Head Of Campus (x2!) – Installations
Now that the year has settled, slightly, we have two new Heads of Campus in Anne-Marie Schmidt and Sarah Hoff-Zweck who will be officially installed into their roles on Sunday 15 May, in conjunction with the church at their service at 9am, likely to be held in the Shed. The congregation, at this time, will also pray for and affirm all of our College staff in their roles at the College and as part of the wider service of the Lutheran Church, as they do yearly. If you are able, all are very welcome to come along and support Anne-Marie, Sarah and our entire staff in their roles of service and work in our community. Morning tea will follow the service.
Blessings,
Simon Hughes
Head of College
Where are You Looking?
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Matthew 28:6
Life can be so much fun, filled with joy, adventure, excitement and happiness. You might feel you are in the zone or the sweet spot of life. Other times you might be really struggling, in the middle of a storm that doesn’t seem to be breaking at all no matter what you do. You might be hard on yourself about your results at school or work, or that you are struggling to be the child that you should be, or the parent who has it together. You might not see anything to be happy about and then feel guilty because you know you should have a positive outlook and mindset, or you should be more thankful. But have you ever wondered where the source of all peace, joy, hope, and love is?
In your trials and struggles do you know where to find Jesus? In your good times do you know where He is to give thanks? If you can’t find Him, are you not looking, or are you looking in the wrong place?
Jesus says I care about you, come to me and I will give you rest, I will give you peace, I will give you hope. Yet when those around you seem to be tossed about on the ocean of life, or when you are, what do you do? Do you try to fix things, or do you know how to anchor them into Jesus who is our Rock and our Salvation?
You see there is one thing that never changes in your life or in eternity, that is the love that Jesus has for you. He promises to be with you always.
When we look in the tomb to a Jesus of history, we can hear the words, He is not here. Jesus is alive – He is Risen – He is Risen indeed!
Look for the living Jesus in His word in the bible and in prayer. Call out His name and ask Him what you need. Once you meet Jesus, your life will never be the same again. Jesus is the Rock of life, your peace in all situations. Jesus is the calm in the storm and the one who holds you when you feel alone. He is the guide when you feel lost. Jesus is alive, call on Him for He is with you always.
Pastor Mark Gierus
College Pastor
Much Happening to Begin Term 2
Welcome Mrs Julieen Hicks
I am delighted to announce that Mrs Julieen Hicks has accepted the position as Year 6H classroom teacher for the remainder of the 2022 school year, as Mrs Hamilton left midway during Term 1.
Mrs Hicks is well known to our community and has worked as a relief teacher on the Junior Campus for many years now, and more recently worked as a specialist teacher, teaching Dance at McDowell State School in 2021.
Mrs Hicks has hit the ground running this term and is already well tuned to the teaching and learning of Area 6. We are excited to welcome Mrs Hicks as she works closely with 6H and the Year 6 cohort.
Farewell Mrs Fry
At the end of Term 1, Mrs Heidi Fry resigned her position at the College to pursue teaching at the Steiner School in Samford Valley. Heidi had been a classroom teacher at Prince of Peace for the past 11 years and shared her love of literacy with many children.
She spent her last days working at PoP on the Mt Binga Outdoor Education Camp with the Year 5’s. I want to thank Heidi for her years of service and wish her every blessing as she continues working with children.
Welcome Mr Corey Griffin
This week, the children of 5F met their new teacher Mr Corey Griffin and I welcome him to our community.
Corey has accepted this teaching position and will replace Mrs Fry for the remainder of the year. He comes to us from St Peter Chanel where he has been teaching a Year 5/6 class.
He is passionate about connecting with children and teaching Mathematics and Science. When Corey is not busy teaching you’ll find him at the beach, enjoying the sun and attempting to surf.
We Will Remember Them
Last Friday, the students of the Junior Campus gathered together to remember and recognise the service of the men and women of our defence forces. Their service past, present and future is something we will forever remember and be grateful for. We were blessed to hear the ANZAC address given by Mrs Peall, who spoke of continuing the ANZAC spirit by the way we live our lives.
On Monday, hundreds gathered together in the rain at the Gaythorne RSL ANZAC Service to pay their respects. Thank you to those who joined the Prince of Peace Community as we paid tribute to all those involved in our defence services along with their families.
Lest we forget!
Storm Repairs – An Update
As many of you know, PoP had damage to a number of our facilities during the Term 1 storm event. Our Facilities Department have been working hard to get repairs underway.
- Much of the Prep playground has already been re-developed and the drainage improved. The Prep children have been eagerly watching the machinery and changes that have been occurring.
- Unfortunately the Prep carpark is still a little damaged. To try and preserve its integrity for as long as possible, we are limiting this area to OSHC, Kindy and Staff car parking. So for the time being, the status of drop off and pick-up across the Junior Campus remains as is.
- The much loved spider web was repaired over the holidays and is now open for all Year 1 to Year 6 students to play on. Unfortunately the wooden playground beyond the web needs repairs and has been fenced for safety reasons.
- Repairs to the block of classrooms that were storm damaged are underway: damaged carpet and autex (the carpet on the walls) has been removed, drainage systems are being repaired and redeveloped and orders for new carpet and damaged furniture have occurred. More still to do, but we are underway.
I am so grateful for all the people who are continuing to work on resolving the damage that occurred. I do apologise for all those families who were delayed last Friday at pick up time by the rather large truck that was dropping off gyprock for the classrooms repairs. While this occurred at the most inconvenient time, I know these are signs that repairs are scheduled and occurring. Thank you for your patience and understanding. I still can’t help but think that we are truly blessed.
Be blessed
Anne-Marie Schmidt
Head of Junior Campus
The Dangers of TikTok: What Can We Do?
Many of our pre-teen children and most teenagers enjoy using the social media platform TikTok (formally Musical.ly), as it is a source of fun and entertainment. However, recent investigations and research indicate that the social media platform presents our children with a number of risks, that in the majority of cases, children (and parents and carers) have no knowledge of, and when they do become aware, have difficulty in addressing them.
During the past two years, we have seen an increasing amount of time spent on social media. With the rise in lockdowns, TikTok’s status has grown exponentially and the TikTok phenomenon has taken on a ‘life of its own’. Recent studies have shown that this rise in popularity has also impacted many children’s wellbeing, mental health and learning. An article written by Annalise Wright discusses the issues associated with this platform and offers suggestions of how we can counter some of TikTok’s negative effects.
For those who are unfamiliar with TikTok, it is a video sharing platform that can create targeted pages using an algorithm. It provides users with a constant stream of content for their consumption. The minimum age to join is 13, and 16 if you want to host a public account. This enables direct messaging between accounts. It is important to note that users do not need to be logged in to view content and to use the ‘search’ function.
This app is the most downloaded app in the word and has quickly surpassed Facebook and Facebook Messenger. Its popularity sits with children and young adults. In her article, Ms Wright states ‘According to Social Media Perth, 41 per cent of TikTok users in 2020 were aged between 16 and 24 years old, and the USA-based company Backlinko states that, in 2021, 25 per cent of TikTok users in the U.S. were aged between 10 and 19. A study conducted in October 2020 by marketing company, Roy Morgan, found that TikTok was used by 746 000 children born between 2006 and 2020.’
However, this app is not all bad. It does assist with de-stigmatising mental health issues and provides communities with a platform to connect. It is also a creative outlet which is user-friendly and easily accessible. TikTok is also a way for children to connect and is a source of entertainment. In saying this, there are also a number of issues that parents and carers need to be aware of to keep their children safe online.
Parents and carers are able to restrict content on TikTok by using the ‘Family Pairing’ setting and the ‘Digital Wellbeing’ setting. ‘Family Pairing’ allows care givers the ability to attach their child’s account to their own and enables them to see direct messages that their child receives and the ability to set usage limits. The ‘Digital Wellbeing’ permits a user to set their own usage limits. However, these constraints have not inhibited dangerous trends and behaviours, predatory actions and privacy issues. We also know that our ‘digital native’ children could avoid these controls by creating various accounts with only one being linked to their parents.
As well as privacy and protection issues, TikTok has been associated with physical dangers and increased mental health illnesses and depleting attention spans. It has been well documented that this platform has encouraged its users to participate in dangerous internet ‘challenges’ where the user records themselves doing a high-risk activity and inviting others to join in.
Recently in the media, we have seen the increased popularity of the ‘Black-Out’ or “Thumb Blowing Pass-Out’ challenge, where a person will make themselves hyperventilate and then hold their breath until they pass out. Queensland Ambulance has recorded a dramatic increase in the number of calls to children who have passed out as a result of this challenge. Tragically, in the U.S. children have even lost their lives.
An ABC article investigating the TikTok algorithm includes interviews with young women who describe the platform as “obsessive” and recount how it influenced their eating habits, resulting in obsessive calorie counting and eating disorders. The ABC article reports Dr Sukunesan from Swinburne University saying:
“These TikToks effectively teach people how to have an eating disorder, and the algorithm can lead them to more severe videos, such as ones that promote self-harming.”
An academic study conducted in China by researchers Peng Sha and Xiaoyu Dong found a correlation between the repetitive use of TikTok and increasing depression and anxiety which led to memory loss. The Science Times published a similar theory stating that “constant use of social media narrows attention spans and adversely impacts mental health”.
What Should We Do?
Parents and Carers need to be aware of the types of behaviours that are being endorsed in trending TikTok videos, and have appropriate responses in place to protect their children. It is important to educate our children about internet safety and privacy and provide a safe pathway for children to get help for mental health issues. For more information and advice, you can go to https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents which will assist in ensuring that our children are being safe online. You can also refer to our previous Popcorn article about Cyber Safety entitled Preventing Online Child Sexual Exploitation.
Let’s all work together to ensure our children’s online safety.
Coreta Lennon
Deputy Head of Junior Campus
Project-Based Learning — Launch Events
It has been an exciting start to Term 2 with many of our project-based learning launches taking place. What is a launch event you may ask? In project-based learning, the project launch is an exciting day, and for good reason. This is when PBL shifts from planning to active learning, the moment when students enter the picture.
By planning launch events that fire up their curiosity, students’ sense of inquiry is engaged right from the start. We want to activate the prior learning inside of our students to launch the project. We also want to get kids excited about the topic that we are about to study. Entry events are a “hook” to the content that is coming and pre-emptively answer the age-old student complaint, “Why do we have to learn this?”
A good launch event captures both heads and hearts. An interesting problem creates cognitive dissonance while an empathetic situation generates an emotional perspective to the issue at hand. Different students will react more strongly to each, so including both engages more students into the project.
At the end of last term, Year 1 made a trip to Lone Pine Sanctuary as part of their launch event to discover what types of enclosures animals require. This was followed up by a letter ‘from’ Lone Pine to ask that the Year 1 students put their learning into practice and create zoo enclosures for some new animals.
Due to the recent flooding, the Prep playground has been dismantled ready for a new structure to be put up. What an exciting opportunity for our Prep design team to come up with a whole new playground! This week Mrs Lennon went down to Prep with her engineer’s helmet on to enlist the Prep students’ help with designing and creating a new play space.
Billy G’s Gourmet Cookie and Biscuit Dough College Fundraiser
Back by popular demand, our P&F Association is kindly running the Billy G’s Gourmet Cookie and Biscuit Dough fundraiser again this year for the College. All funds raised will be used to purchase new resources for our students. Popular in local fundraising communities, Billy G’s is renowned for offering quality cookie dough for those who like to bake at home. With 10 different flavours, and a 1kg tub only costing $18.00, it is a tasty and cost efficient option for your friends and families (cookies cost approx. 45 cents each).
Getting involved is simple.
Step 1 Go to cookiedough.com.au
Step 2 Click ‘Register now’ and create your own fundraiser page. This is essential.
Step 3 Ask your family and friends if they would like to purchase a tub or two.
Step 4 Place your final cookie dough order via your fundraiser page by Wednesday 18 May 2022.
No cash please – all orders must go through your fundraiser page.
This is a cashless fundraiser which means when you place your final order online, you will need to pay for the order via your credit card etc. We recommend collecting the cash from your buyers, banking the money into your account and then using this to finalise the order. Please do not bring cash to the school.
Important Dates:
Wednesday 18 May 2022 – The fundraiser closes. Your final orders must be placed by this day.
Tuesday 31 May 2022 – Junior Campus families will receive their cookie dough orders.
Thursday 2 June 2022 – Senior Campus families will receive their cookie dough orders.
We hope you enjoy baking your own cookies. Thank you for supporting our students.
Chess Club Resumes this Week
Mr Russell and Miss Burke are delighted to announce that Chess Club will resume this week, starting Thursday 28 April for Years 4-6 after school in Mr Russell’s Room from 3.00pm – 3.45pm.
All are welcome, whatever your standard – from beginner to expert – to come along and play Chess in a friendly environment.
Chess Club will also resume for students in Years 1-3 on Thursday 28 April at first break, 10.45am, also in Mr Russell’s room and all are welcome.
Opportunity to Recognise Academic Effort
We welcome all students, staff, and parents back to Term 2 and hope and pray that the holiday break brought a time of rest and renewal. There certainly is a buzz around the Middle and Senior Campus as students share stories with their peers and teachers of their holidays, engage in new concepts of learning and set goals based on their achievements so far.
Year 12 2021 Awards Presentation
We were delighted to welcome back Year 12 students and their parents from 2021 in presenting Academic Awards in: Academic Honours, Excellence, and the College Dux for 2021, in a formal presentation with our current Year 12’s and staff.
It was an opportunity to pause and be thankful for each of the young people who have made a difference to the lives of others in their time in our learning community. Below is a message that I shared on this occasion:
We know that the journey was and still is a unique one for students in the senior years of their educational journey. The last three years has brought upon a world-wide pandemic that has radically changed the space of education, life and living. Change such as teachers and students learning remotely through video conferencing and flipped classrooms where students explore content before coming to a class with a teacher; using new technologies at a rapid pace and succeeding at every step.
But what more valuable lessons we have learnt is the power of our own voice and advocacy no matter what our age is. When you are learning or working from a room in your home online in lockdown or isolation, you quickly realise how you need to connect to your community. You begin to wonder who am I and what is my purpose, and your voice begins to grow louder.
During the last three years I have seen the voice of young people be louder and more courageous than ever. Your resilience, creativity and resourcefulness as young people is inspirational. One moment where we have seen this was when Amanda Gorman, a 22-year-old was chosen to be the inaugural poet at the Inauguration of President Jo Biden. Her poem was entitled the ‘Hill We climb’. Her voice was heard, and her words transformed the hearts and minds of the world.
Her words inspired us not to grieve upon what we have lost in our world and the lives of what was once, but to move forward in light. So, my questions for us all to wonder upon this morning are; How are we moving forward? What do we draw upon in finding the light?
As a graduate from Prince of Peace, seeds have been planted in your life of a faith. This is what we believe will help you find the light. Tim Costello, Pastor and social justice activist’s book entitled ‘Faith, living life in uncertainty’ invites us to know more about our inner voices and living life through our hearts. Tim reminds us that we will not always live on the mountain top of success and glory and when we don’t he says; Who are you? You see we all need to climb the hill and in climbing is when we are becoming. This is when God is with you; guiding and shaping you and your faith is forming.
While we are all always growing, always becoming, we are indeed comforted by Amanda’s final words of her poem:
There is always light, if only we are brave enough to see it. If only we are brave enough to be it.
We congratulate the following Year 12 students from the Class of 2021 on their outstanding academic achievements.
Academic Honours
Students who received at least three A grades which meets the criteria for Academic Honours. Congratulations to the following students: Olivia Gadenne, Piper Griffin, Ryan Hamilton, Harrison Jones, Lachlan Juric, Sharlise Mansfield, Samuel Short, Lucas Smith and Conner Wiseman.
Academic Excellence
Students who received at least five A grades meet the criteria for Academic Excellence. In Year 12 we also recognize these students as Gold Stars. Congratulations to the following students: Benjamin Fingland, Abby Newton, Georgia Pfeffer, Jarvis Sivyer and Gabrielle Waverley-Smith.
Special congratulations to Abby and Jarvis who achieved six A grades.
Dux of the College 2021
The Dux of the College is based on receiving the highest ATAR.
We congratulate Jarvis Siyver in being Dux of the College in 2021.
Prince of Peace continues to be a place of learning that encourages young people to pursue their passions and strengths in forming an enriching pathway for their life.
Remembering the Anzac Spirit
We gathered as a community on the Middle and Senior Campus on Friday 22 April in our Anzac Ceremony around our community’s Anzac Memorial and flagpoles.
The focus of our ceremony this year was hearing the diverse voices of the Anzac story amongst the rituals and traditions of an Anzac service. The Student Leader Council representatives also sold poppies and badges that were donated by the Gaythorne RSL in raising money to update our Anzac memorial.
We thank those staff, parents and students who also attended their local community Anzac Day services and marches on Monday 25 April in honoring the memory of those who have served in protecting the freedom for their future generations.
Sarah Hoff-Zweck
Head of Middle and Senior Campus
Careers @ PoP
Welcome to Term 2!
UCAT (which stands for University Clinical Aptitude Test) is required for most (but not all) medical courses in Queensland. This extra test will be required to be taken before QTAC applications are finalised. Details on what courses need UCAT, how to register, and book a test, can be found on www.ucat.edu.au . Registrations and test bookings close 17 May.
Med Entry is a training group that can prepare students for this test. Past students that have completed this test have informed me that doing the preparation definitely assisted in improving their results. Details for this at www.MedEntry.edu.au
A number of emails for tertiary Open Days are starting to appear in my inbox. I will be posting information for these as they come in. But in the meantime I encourage you to keep an eye on individual university websites as well as the QTAC website (https://www.qtac.edu.au/open-days-expos/). This site is regularly updated when dates are secured.
Blessings as we head into a busy term.
Mrs Julie Grosas
Careers and VET Leader
Junior Campus Sport
PoP Cleans Up at the Met North District Cross Country Trials
On Friday, PoP sent 15 athletes to the 10-12 years Met North District Cross Country trials, and our students did not disappoint.
We had three podium finishes with Rosezen Johnston placing 1st in the 10 years girls race. Finn Sorpassa placed 2nd in the 12 years boys race and Thomas Forbes-Schutz achieved a 3rd place finish in the boys 11 years race.
Will Thomas was very unlucky not to secure a spot on the podium after placing 5th and finishing just four seconds behind the third placed competitor from Albany Hills. Other notable performances included Micah Shaw placing 8th, Amelia Kohl 9th and Lachlan Larder 15th in their respective races.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of Calum Middleton, Emma Zheng, Lottie McKinnon, Oliver Spargo, Nate Taylor, Julius Oberhardt, Laura Larder and Georgia Wallin. You all represented our school with pride and ran hard until the very end. There are bigger and better things in your future.
We are extremely proud of each and every one of you!
Pop Students Shine at the Met North Touch Trials
On Thursday, five students from PoP participated in the Met North 10-12 years boys and girls touch trials. Charlie Gilfillan, Abbey Watts, Chloe Pink, Sophie Griffin and Thi Boyle all gained selection for the North District team.
The standard of touch was extremely high and all of our students matched it with the best players in the region.
To add to the excitement, Abbey Watts and Chloe Pink were both selected in the ‘possibles and probables’ teams. Chloe went on to be selected for the Met North Representative team whilst Abbey was very unlucky to be overlooked.
We are extremely proud of all your achievements!
Success at the Met North Hockey Trials
On Thursday, Kirra Harvey and Kaelan Harvey represented North District at the 10-12 years boys and girls hockey trials.
Both students delivered stellar performances and gained selection in the Met North Representative side.
We cannot wait to see how you both progress at the next stage of competition.
Matthew Barben
Junior Campus HPE and Sport
Senior Campus Sport
National Athletics Championships
Jonas Forbes-Schutz, Freya Forbes-Schutz and Heidi Noon competed in the Australian Track and Field Championships held in Sydney during the last week of Term 1. Jonas and Freya both ran the 2000m steeplechase with Jonas coming 13th and Freya in 19th position—Freya also had the added challenge of having the water jump set 8cm higher than what it should have been! Heidi ran in the 800m, coming in at 11th place. What wonderful results, congratulations to these students!
BOSL Junior and Intermediate Teams
The Junior boys basketball team competed in their first game of the Brisbane Outer Schools League competition this term. Up against Grace College and only having had one training session prior to the game, the team came out well in the first half, at times in front by 8 points. The boys were moving the ball well down the court and shooting effectively when in the key.
After half time, the Grace team hit back and started to rebound the ball and found a way to get 7 points in front with two minutes remaining. The PoP team rallied and with the use of a full court press, was able to produce an unbelievable last minute to score multiple baskets and take out the win 37-36. Special mention to Tej Nagpal who scored a whopping 25 points for the team and also to Hamish Stuhmcke who was able to shut down the opposition player throwing the ball in from the baseline which enabled us to secure so many turnovers in the last few minutes of play. Well done team!
Intermediate Boys Division 2 Basketball
The first game of the season for the Intermediate Boys Division 2 basketball team was played last Wednesday afternoon against Genesis Christian College. The team managed to start strong and played a hard fought game with lead changes throughout.
Even though the boys had some great patches of game play, they eventually went down 36-25. There were a lot of positive takeaways from the game and the boys played with great sportsmanship and determination and are looking forward to the next game against Dakabin State High School.
Gabby Collman
Sports Coordinator
HPE, Science and Mathematics Teacher
Junior Campus Music News
Choirs
Congratulations to the Junior Campus Choirs who sang at the Anzac Day Service last Friday. This was the first performance of the year, and for some students, the first performance ever. They sang “We are Australian” beautifully in front of the Junior Campus, parents, caregivers and guests.
Students are welcome to join choir at any time. Upper Primary Choir (Years 4-6) on Tuesday morning and Lower Primary Choir (Years 2-3) on Wednesday mornings. Commencing at 7:40am in the Music Room.
Juniors “Arts” Night – Tuesday 17 May
All Year 1-3 students, parents and caregivers are invited to our “Arts Night”. Art work created during Term 1 and Dance repertoire in Term 2 (so far) in lessons with Mrs Rebecca Rees will be on display. This will be followed by performances by the Junior Choir, Junior String Ensemble, and some special guests.
This will be held in the Shed from 5:30pm to view artwork and the concert will begin at 6pm.
Further information will be provided asap.
Classroom Music
The recorder is arguably one of the most infamous instruments available, building a reputation as “that annoying instrument children have to learn in primary school”. Actually they don’t ‘have’ to learn it, and whilst parents endure the sounds of squeaks and squeals, there are a number of beneficial reasons why I teach music through the recorder.
It helps to develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills as students learn precise fingerings to play different notes. As they play melodies they learn patterns and recognise repetition. All helpful for problem solving skills in other areas of learning.
The recorder is also an inexpensive way to begin to teach children the rudiments of music. Reading music, learning basic rhythms, improvisation, and improvement of aural skills are all benefits of learning the recorder.
Sherree Cudney
Junior Campus Music
Senior Campus Music News
Rhythms Riffs and Refrains
Preparation is well under way for our first ensemble concert in over a year, Rhythms Riffs and Refrains. This will be a great night out with over 100 students performing in a variety of styles and genre. All of our tutors and ensembles will be represented: Jazz, Rock, Classical, Folk, Pop… whatever your style, there will be a special performance for you! Plus you will be supporting the wonderful students who have dedicated so much time and love to the preparation of this material week after week.
Please note the changed date for this event Wednesday 1 June
In the meantime, please ensure that your children have organised their Music Uniforms so that they look as good as they sound! Note that long pants and socks are a part of the music uniform, please take care that these are done correctly—when they are on stage we do not want attention drawn to anything but the wonderful music.
Lights Camera Action!
We are going to hear the Queensland Symphony Orchestra play music from the stage and screen. Students from the elective music classroom and Extra Curricular Ensembles Program have received an invitation to join us on an excursion to QPAC Concert Hall to hear the orchestra play LIVE! If your child is 16 or above, please remember that I would like a copy of their certificate of vaccination to take with us, and I need that now.
THANK YOU
Thanks so much to the Senior String Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble and Senior Choir who contributed their gifts and talents to the ANZAC Ceremony held on the Senior Campus last Friday 22 April. This was the first time that we had prepared a combined item, and the Strings and Choir went to extra lengths to provide a moving rendition of Psalm 23 composed by Howard Goodall. Adding to this, the entry of the drum line with the Catafalque Party creates such a stirring opening to the Ceremony. Special commendation to Miles Chewe in Year 10 who presented the Last Post and Rouse at both the Senior and Junior Campus Ceremonies live this year. What a special service these students brought us and how blessed we are to have this opportunity to remember those in times or places less fortunate.
We are experiencing a lot of absences in rehearsals at the moment. Some of this is COVID-driven but some of it is not. Music is a long-term commitment. It is a way of life. The relationships forged in rehearsal last lifetimes and create deep musical memories. This happens because the memories are fed regularly and the relationships are nurtured through thick and thin. Yes. You have to get up early (or stay late…). And YES. You will be rewarded for it. You will enjoy that decision and the time you spent music making for the rest of your life.
SPEACIAL NOTE
String Ensemble will rehearse on THURSDAY mornings for the first three weeks of Term 2 as we are not at school on Mondays.
Percussion Ensemble is trialing lunch-time rehearsals on a Wednesday so you don’t have to get up early. No excuse now.
Appointments will be in SEQTA as normal. Please accept these. Thank you
Let’s make music!
Linda Brady
Senior Campus Curriculum Leader of Music and Coordinator of Extra-Curricular Music
Worship
1 May
9am Worship
3:30pm Youth@PoP — Escape Room to be held in the church office. Questions? Email youth@princeofpeace.org.au
5pm Together@5
Please keep an eye on the Prince of Peace Church Facebook page for service updates.