Sailing in the Storm

As we inch past the half way mark of Term 2, I am once again reminded and thankful for the amazing staff and families at PoP. While the year hasn’t brought severe COVID lockdowns, it has still been filled with disruptions, changes and problems that have impacted what we have considered “normal life”. Much has been written about how this has been a particularly difficult struggle for many, including our children. As adults, generally speaking, we’ve developed some resilience and coping strategies over the years. One counsellor and school therapist writes, “caregivers can’t always alter children’s circumstances or shield them from discomfort, they can offer a more enduring gift:  tools to manage adversity”.

At PoP our teachers work hard to develop that resilience tool box as they navigate life with their classes and I’ve listed just a few for us to reflect on.

The Power of Gratitude

When we take the moment to stop, think, appreciate—our world is always different. Practicing gratitude gives perspective. Speaking that appreciation into someone else’s life not only makes a difference to them, it changes us too.

Teaching and Modelling Flexible Thinking Skills

Whether we like it or not, we will all be faced with challenges. We know there will be a number of ways to deal with them. If Plan A doesn’t work, maybe Plan B or Plan C. Helping our children to see options and be flexible grows that resilience muscle.

Label Your Emotions

The ability to recognise and name emotions is not as simple as it sounds, but it is key in becoming self-aware and part of managing your emotional state.

Simple statements like, “I can see you are struggling with something – can you tell me about it?” might help this process. I know we are more inclined to do this with those angry, mad or disappointed emotions, but happy, excited and calm need their fair share of attention too.

Positive Self Talk and Positive Reflection

How easy it is to default to negative self-talk or to talk negatively about a situation or a person! Training ourselves to think and speak positively helps build resilience.

When things are difficult to learn, saying I haven’t mastered that yet can help. When faced with a challenging circumstance, reflecting on how you’ve managed in the past, highlighting growth and celebrating how challenges have been resolved can build resilience.

At PoP we know that we work together in building and growing that resilience muscle.

Students Reports

Preparations for the end of Semester 1 Student Reports are well underway. These reports will be delivered to you via SEQTA Engage so it is vital that you are logged in to this system. Please contact the College should you need help with accessing SEQTA.

Reports will be released during the last week of Term.

Year 3 – 6 Athletics Carnival POSTPONED

The annual Athletics Carnival for Years 3-6 that was scheduled to be held on Friday 27 May 2022 at Sir Leslie Patrick Park, Arana Hills has been postponed. The weather has not been kind to the field or the condition of the venue.

As a lover of sport, I am disappointed about the decision, but know it is in the best interests of student safety. With more rain forecast in the next day or so, we wanted to let families know to assist with their plans.
Our wet weather back up date is Friday 3rd June although, even this may not be enough time for the pitch and facilities at Sir Leslie Patrick Park to be suitable for safe competition. We are currently working through options with the local council and will let families know when we have a safe and viable plan for the Athletics Carnival.

I know a lot of our children will be disappointed about this delay, but I encourage you to look at helping them to reframe their thinking and develop their resilience muscle. Who knows, maybe plan C will be absolutely awesome?

Year 4 Camp

Congratulations to all involved in the Year 4 Camp at Luther Heights.   Our students and staff excelled in their activities conquering fears, showing courage and encouraging each other every step of the way. From tree climbs, to flying foxes, mornings on the beach to night walks, our Year 4 students have experienced some of the best things Luther Heights has to offer.

To our incredible staff – we salute you! We also extend our thanks to your families for holding down the home front while you supported your students. This level of dedication often goes unnoticed but I want to say – we see it and think you are all truly amazing!

Having an Attitude of Gratitude

Have you ever started your day with saying at least three things you are grateful for? How do you think this simple act might change your outlook on the day ahead? With all the wet weather, the closure of playgrounds and play spaces, it is easy for our students to be disheartened and upset. It is hard when you are young and expelling energy is such an important part of life. Our little ones really do feel this build up of pressure and take things to heart when the world around them doesn’t go to plan (as some of us, even as adults are prone to do).

This is why we celebrate and guide our students through Growing with Gratitude at Prince of Peace. We encourage our students to have an attitude of gratitude. What can we do if everything seems not to be going the way we planned? How can we face each day and be thankful for what we do have, instead of what we don’t? Our Growing with Gratitude program at PoP aides our students to understand how being grateful can have an immense influence on our daily lives.

Farewell Wayne, you will be greatly missed.

On Friday, during our farewell to Wayne, one of our College groundsmen, it was made clear by staff and students who were wishing him the best for the future, that building positive relationships has a significant effect on our outlook on life. Being grateful each day and building positive relationships will put you in good stead to lead a fulfilling life.

What to do the experts say about having an Attitude of Gratitude?

Many wellbeing and educational researchers such as Martin Seligman, Robert Emmons, and Michael McCullough are turning their attention to the study of gratitude and its relationship to health and mental well-being. Below you will see some of their findings which help us understand how gratitude is helpful and why it’s important for our wellbeing.

• People who keep gratitude journals on a weekly basis have been found to exercise more regularly, have fewer physical symptoms, feel better about their lives as a whole, and feel more optimistic about their upcoming week as compared to those who keep journals recording the stressors or neutral events of their lives.
• Daily discussion of gratitude results in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness, energy, and sleep duration and quality. Grateful people also report lower levels of depression and stress, although they do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life.
• People who think about, talk about, or write about gratitude daily are more likely to report having helped someone with a personal problem or offered emotional support to another person.
• Those with a disposition towards gratitude are found to place less importance on material goods, are less likely to judge their own or others success in terms of possessions accumulated, are less envious of wealthy people, and are more likely to share their possessions with others.
• Emerging research suggests that daily gratitude practices may have some preventative benefits in warding off coronary artery disease.

Read more about the Importance of Gratitude »

So, let’s work with our children by modelling an attitude of gratitude so we can all improve our wellbeing.

Coreta Lennon
Deputy Head of Campus – Junior

Be Brave, Make Change — Reconciliation Week 2022

As a Lutheran Learning Community, we are committed to creating a culture that honours and respects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through rich and inclusive relationships and learning opportunities that deepen knowledge and understanding of the diversity within and across Australia. This is founded on our strong belief that all people have inherent worth and value. It is our vision for every person within our learning communities, that they fully benefit from the opportunities that this learning affords and that they both experience and contribute to a fully reconciled, just and equitable Australia.

This year’s National Reconciliation Week theme, ‘Be Brave Make Change’ is a challenge to all of us to be brave, and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can make change for the benefit of all Australians. Change begins with brave actions in your daily life—where you live, work, play and socialise.

We are called to consider what we can do in our daily lives to be brave, and the Reconciliation Australia website outlines 19 daily actions for us to consider. An area that challenges me, is to learn more about our College’s Reconciliation Plan (RAP) plan and the living connections we have to the Turrbal and Jagera people in our community—past, present and emerging.

On Thursday 26 May we begin Reconciliation Week on National Sorry Day. On this day we acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generation survivors and reflect on how all Australians can play a part in the healing process. It reminds of the day on 13 February 2008, when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd publicly apologised to the Stolen Generations on behalf of the Australian Federal Government. When the words were said ‘We are sorry’, one can never forget the crying, cheering and clapping that followed in parliament, on the streets outside of parliament and across the nation in all communities. Talking to your children about this day is important in taking closer steps in reconciliation and keeping the conversation alive.

Elevate Education Partnership

Prince of Peace has begun a partnership with Elevate Education for students in Year 10, 11 and 12. Since 2001, Elevate has been transforming the way study skills programs are run across Australia. Drawing upon over 20 years of research into the habits of the country’s top students, Elevate’s high impact seminars and workshops help students improve their study techniques, increase motivation, build confidence, and lift exam performance. Please visit the Elevate website for more details.

Students in Year 12 began their Elevate workshops series on Friday 20 May that focused on Time Management. This seminar addressed the question: “Once I know what to do, how do I find the time to do it?” The skills that were covered were:

• Study routine: How to develop a study routine that allows for socialising, sport and extra-curricular activities but still ensures productivity.
• Working smart: How to identify the work that is going to get students the most marks across their final years and how to ensure that it gets done.
• Study groups: Students are shown how to leverage their time across the year by using study groups. This is a particularly powerful academic technique for those students who are time poor.
• Procrastination: Students are introduced to the most common reasons underlying procrastination and how to manage them, if not eliminate them altogether.

In Term 3 Elevate will return to the Year 12s with a seminar that focuses on the Finishing Line, and students in Year 10 and 11 will engage in the Time Management workshop. We look forward to sharing more resources with parents, and these workshops are another resource that supplements the programs that we have provided students along their educational journey with Prince of Peace.

For further information please contact Julie Grosas (Careers Coordinator), Sharon Grimes (Year 12 Coordinator) or Sarah Hoff-Zweck (Head of Campus, Middle & Senior).

Sarah Hoff-Zweck
Head of Campus – Middle and Senior

Careers @ PoP

Headstart, Start QUT, Enhanced Study Programs. What does this all mean?

These programs all relate to opportunities offered to eligible Year 11 and 12 students from local universities.

Headstart is the program offered by University of Sunshine Coast (USC). It challenges motivated Year 11 and 12 students with university-level learning, giving them the opportunity to advance study skills and gain credit towards a USC degree. Students can pursue a subject of interest, experience life as a uni student and enhance academic skills as they blend high school learning with university study.

See the following link for further details: Headstart Program (Year 11 and 12 students) | University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia (usc.edu.au)

START QUT gives students the best chance of finding a course they’ll enjoy by trying out university subjects while they’re in Year 11 and 12.

Students can select two units from across the university, and study one unit each semester. Once completed, they can receive advanced standing (credit) for studies, putting them ahead of peers and setting students up for future success.

See the following link for further details. https://www.qut.edu.au/study/options/start-qut

The UQ Enhanced Studies Program (ESP) provides students with an opportunity to extend their knowledge, skills and abilities by completing one university subject during Year 12.  Key benefits are listed below.

ESP prepares students for university study by experiencing classes, completing assessment and enjoying campus life. ESP students who later enrol in a relevant UQ degree may receive credit for their completed course, depending on which degree they enrol in. Please see https://esp.uq.edu.au/

If you are considering this, please discuss eligibility with myself.

Blessings,

Mrs Julie Grosas
Careers and VET Leader