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ST MARTINS LUTHERAN COLLEGE SCHOOL NEWSL ETTER

Website: www.stmart ins.sa.edu.au I Email : off ice@stmart ins.sa.edu.au

Interim Principal: Mrs Robyn Teakle

A MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF PRIMARY

Compassion One of the best ways that I have heard compassion described is ‘Love in Action’. When we show compassion to and for others, it is more than just sympathy and empathising with their situation, it is this and more – it is an act of kindness, love or support that fills the gap, does what they can’t do on their own and helps them move forward. In the stories of Jesus we often read that He had compassion on those that he came across – it wasn’t just an emotion or a feeling – for Jesus that expression of compassion always resulted in an action. If people were sick, He healed them; if they were hungry, He fed them; if they were confused or lost, He explained the truth and showed them the way. His ultimate act of compassion was demonstrated when He died to pay the price for our sins – a debt that we could not pay. We were dead in our sin and He made it possible for us to have life to the full now and eternal life in the future. His compassion and love was always accompanied by an action. Our compassion should have an action as well. In a world so tainted by sin we see people in need at every turn and it is often easier to pretend we don’t see the problem rather than taking the time to help. There are so many ways for us to show compassion to others as well – simple acts of kindness that will change the world and bring hope. When we see a need and then give of our time and resources to help those in need we truly become Jesus’ hands and feet in the world. For those looking for God’s help in their situation we can be the face of Jesus to the world. Don’t underestimate the impact a simple act of compassion can make in a world so in need of love in action. In an ever-increasingly egocentric society where self is number one, encouraging our students to be compassionate can be challenging at times. For many it’s difficult to empathise with others and see beyond their own wants, needs and circumstances, but on those occasions when we see our students reaching out to those in need, it’s then that we truly see how they demonstrate the heart of Jesus and we know that the value of compassion has become real to them as well. Can I encourage you this week to look at the world around you with eyes of compassion that not only see the needs of those you meet, but see with the eyes of Jesus and seek to put your love into action. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Phil Bond

THURSDAY 10TH MAY 2018

Dear Students, Parents and Staff,

I am both delighted and honoured to be joining the St Martins family as your next Principal. I very much enjoyed my recent

visit, at the end of last term, where I had the opportunity to meet many students, staff and parents. The overwhelming

impression that I took away with me was of a friendly, happy and vibrant learning community.

Whilst I have lived and worked in a number of large cities around the world, my true home has always been country Australia,

as I spent most of my teenage years growing up on a property West of Armidale, NSW. With a degree in Social & Economic

Geography and Archaeology, I started my career teaching Geography, History and Business Studies in Broken Hill, NSW, and

have since taught in a number of schools across Australia and internationally.

As a firm believer in life-long learning, I completed a Masters Degree in Education in 2007 and love learning new things when it

comes to providing the very best education for students. I am a strong advocate of student centred learning, that provides for

the development of the whole child, and I am passionate in my desire to provide students with an education that enables

them to develop to their full potential, academically, spiritually, culturally, aesthetically and physically.

With fourteen years leadership experience in a range of schools, I am looking forward to working with you all to lead St

Martins as it continues to grow and develop.

My wife, Julie, and I are very excited to be moving to Mount Gambier for the next chapter of our lives. In particular, we are

looking forward to being part of the St Martins family, along with enjoying the fresh air and wonderful opportunities that the

South East offers with its beautiful landscapes, distinct seasons and welcoming community.

Over the next two months I will be in communication with Mrs Teakle, in order to smooth my transition to Mount Gambier

and St Martins.

I look forward to getting to know you all soon.

With warm regards,

Alan Connah

A MESSAGE FROM INCOMING PRINCIPAL ALAN CONNAH

The new Primary vegetable

garden is thriving—delicious

dishes are being created from the

green bounty.

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MUSIC

Musical Director Visit

Wednesday 30th May from 2:00-3:00 there will be a combined year 5 rehearsal for Festival Choir in the Chapel with the district Musical Director, Robynne Jaeschke. All Year 5 students will be attending.

Stephen Walther Instrumental Music Coordinator

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St Martins Lutheran College Holiday Office and Uniform Shop

Opening Hours

Thursday 26th April 8:15am – 4:15pm

Friday 27th April 8:15am – 4:15pm TOP 5 TIPS TO TEACH KIDS ABOUT MONEY

Do your kids understand money? I mean, really understand it?

Probably not; most of them don’t. That’s because we pay for things with a swipe or a tap, and often don’t use actual cash. School banking rates may also be declining, because finding cash on the day can be inconvenient.

The risk we run by not teaching our kids about money, is that they’ll can fall into the credit card trap when they turn 18, and begin their adult lives in a world of debt.

Here are 5 suggestions for teaching your children BASIC financial skills:

Get them into school banking. They learn so much from physically touching the money and participating in their own savings.

Teach them they need bread for sandwiches, but want chocolate for a treat. There’s a difference.

Make them earn their own money by doing chores! It’s old school, but it works.

Don’t buy stuff for them all the time. They can buy it with their own money.

Google “Three Jam Jars Kids Money” – a great way for kids to visualise budgeting.

For more information on basic financial literacy visit the ASIC moneysmart website.

To open an LLL Children’s Savings account, visit lll.org.au/open today.

STATE SAPSASA SOFTBALL CARNIVAL

In superb weather conditions during the last week of term 1 Nash Lobley, Liam McDonald and Shae Delaney all competed at the State SAPSASA Softball Carnival at West Beach in Adelaide.

The students all did very well with the boys finishing 9th and girls team finishing 6th in their respective pools.

Jacinta de Brie-Delaney

SAPSASA Hockey and Soccer It is great to see many St Martins Year 5/6/7 students nominating for SAPSASA girls and boys hockey and soccer teams. If you are interested you can get a nomination form from the front office. I will keep you posted on how many of our students actually win selection in these teams. The Adelaide carnivals for these sports are later in the term. Naracoorte Cross Country We have approximately 60 registered students for next Friday’s South East Cross Country running championships being held at Naracoorte. All the best to the participating students. And thank you very much to all the parents who volunteered to help out. Final notes were handed out to registered students this week. We are running trainings at the following times in the upcoming weeks. Students can wear their sports uniform on these days. Friday 11th May 11:30am

Tuesday 15th May 9:00am

St Martins Auskick

Auskick will be running this term, the first session was on Wednesday which was very successful. Many thanks to the staff and parents who are helping out with this program. We had an excellent turn out of Year F, 1 and 2 students for the program. Year 3/4/5 School Netball Good luck to the students who will be playing Year 3/4/5 school netball this term. We have two netball teams playing in the Lower South East school competition. This is a great effort. Thanks very much to the parents who are coaching/umpiring a team. Without these amazing volunteers our school would not be able to participate in these great opportunities. Year 3/4/5 School Football Unfortunately the Lower South East school football competition has been cancelled this term due to a lack of

nominations. Please see the note on page 7 of the newsletter about an exciting new school competition we are

offering Year 2-5 boys and girls.

Shauni Cunningham (Primary PE Coordinator)

JUNIOR SPORTS NEWS

Students from St Martins Lutheran College achieved high scores in Grok Learning’s Web.Comp 2018 , a coding competition which teaches new coders from around the world how to design their own websites. Students competed for five weeks alongside over 6,000 other students from across Australia and the world, using code to design websites of increasing sophistication and complexity. The twist? Many of them had never written a line of code before! In the final week of the competition, students used their new coding skills and creativity to produce their own website designs and submit them into a Design Tournament, where other competitors and the public voted on the best designs in head-to-head rounds.

CODING COMPETITION

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GERMAN TRIP 2018

On the 17th April 18, members of our St Martins community flew out of Adelaide Airport for 16 days in Germany. We

arrived to sunny skies and a warm 22 C in Munich, and immediately set about exploring this charming city. Over the next

2 weeks we would explore the Bavarian Alps, the Black Forest, Lake Constance, the Rhine Land, parts of the Romantic

road, Cologne , Dusseldorf and Amsterdam.

Our students were exemplary ambassadors for Australia, and relished opportunities to experience German culture and

mix with friendly Germans as the trip unfolded.

Some highlights included a snowball fight on top of the 3000 metre high Zugspitze, the amazing rides at Europa Park,

eating Black Forest Cherry Cake in the Black Forest, visiting Neuschwanstein and Linderhof castles, riding the Summer

Toboggan run and participating in a Tyrolean folk evening in Lenzkirch. Our Aussie students demonstrated the birdie

dance to a very appreciative crowd and were lucky not to get signed up for the next show.

During the second week we visited our sister school ‘Marie Curie Gymnasium’ in Duesseldorf where we attended classes,

toured the local area, and travelled to Cologne and Amsterdam with our hosts. We also visited the incredible Cologne

Cathedral, some of us climbing the 500 plus steps to the viewing area in the spire. Food was high on our list of enjoyable

experiences with schnitzels, sausages, pretzels, strudels and breads featuring regularly. We returned home exhausted

after a jam-packed trip with many happy memories of beautiful sights, fun activities and new friends. Until next time …

Heather Frost

German Teacher

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IMPORTANT DATES:

9/5—11/5 Year 9 Camp – Halls Gap 13/5 Mother’s Day 15/5 NAPLAN 16/5 NAPLAN Year 8 Info Night (Millicent, 7:30pm)

18/5 SAPSASA Regional Cross Country Vetamorphus Retreat 2 – Adelaide

23/5 Year 11 Camp (Adl) National Simultaneous Storytime 24/5 Year 11 Camp (Adl) Year 8 Info Night (St Martins, 7:30pm)

28/5

Solo/Ensemble Music Summative 1

29/5

Solo/Ensemble Music Summative 1

30/5

SESSSA X-Country

1/6

Year 8 Student Come & Try Day

11/6

Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday

12/6

Pupil Free Day

On the Wednesday of the last week of Term 1, the Secondary students

were treated to the dulcet tones of the band Sacred Stone. Travelling

from Adelaide that day, the band, who have been performing together for

approximately 18 months in their current line-up, sang popular songs for

students to engage with, while also sharing a message about Resilience.

Band leader Matt spoke about times when life seems to be going along OK,

but then gets disrupted by something happening to us outside of our

control. Jaz shared a story from her life and we also saw a video from

Chris, sharing how their lives had been disrupted. Interspersed with more

songs, Jaz and Chris then shared how they were able to move through that

disruption and get on with their changed circumstances.

The songs from the band were quite popular, and many students (and a

teacher or two) took up the invitation to dance along.

Some key thoughts from Matt were that it is OK not to be OK (we all have

times when things are going badly), know who your support network is

(family, friends, teachers, counsellors and chaplain), and a reminder that in

order to get through the situation we have to move through it (be active

about finding solutions rather than letting everything flow around us). Jaz

summed up her key ideas in the phrases Look Up (Take your eyes off the

problem); Look Around (see the beauty, see your support); Look Forward

(know that things will eventually get better)”.

Some responses from students were: "It was really good, because it gave

me a different point of view to look at bad situations that I might

face" (Hannah); "I liked that they shared personal stories, and what they've

been through in life, how they overcame hard situations. I really enjoyed

how their choices complimented the stories they shared with

us" (Antoinette). Other responses indicated students found them

enjoyable and inspirational. Hopefully our students will be able to take the

lessons learnt in this way and apply them in their struggles.

Jason Buckland

SACRED STONE VISIT TERM ONE

YEAR 2 – 5 SCHOOL FOOTBALL

St Martins Year 2 – 5 School Football, Term 2 Dear parents, As many of you are aware, Saturday morning school football was unfortunately cancelled due to lack of interest from other schools. We are still keen to give students the opportunity to play football this term so have decided to run school football within our school on Fridays during school time. We are aiming for this competition to be as similar as possible to the Saturday morning competition, so will be splitting the interested students into equal teams. It will run from week 4 of this term until the end of the term. Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 are eligible to play but

we will also open it up to Year 2 students. We are hoping we may get enough numbers to run games with the year

2/3 students separate to games with the Year 4/5 students. If you are interested in your child or children playing

school Football, please fill out the permission slip via School Stream here http://smlc.myschoolstream.net/?

p=5198 by Wednesday 16th May 2018.

This competition is open to boys or girls. Students who didn’t originally register interest in school football are also welcome to participate in this competition. The more the merrier. Games will be played on Fridays at school from 1:00-2:00 (lunch time and twenty minutes after lunch). School Football jumpers will be supplied. Students can wear their sports uniforms on Friday. They are welcome to change into football boots, but sneakers will be fine. Please do not allow students to wear football boots for the whole day at school. We will be aiming to have senior students involved in coaching and umpiring, but if you are free and are interested, you are welcome to be involved. Please let Mr Bradley know (dbradley@stmartins.sa.edu.au) if this is the case. Shauni Cunningham (Primary PE Coordinator)

As some of you may be aware, Pastor Greg has spent the past 4 weeks in Kenya, teaching to Pastors about the book of Ephesians. With his wife, he has also visited the Neur people who are currently in the Refugee camp at Kakuma. Here is a photo of Pastor Greg and Alicia with Pastor John Ria.

Jason Buckland

PASTOR GREG IN KENYA

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SEASONS FOR GROWTH® PROGRAM

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Learning to live with change and loss Change and loss are issues that affect all of us at some stage in our lives. At St Martins we recognise that when changes occur in families through death, separation, divorce and related circumstances, young people may benefit from learning how to manage these changes effectively. We are therefore offering a very successful education program called Seasons for Growth. This program is facilitated in small groups and is based on research which highlights the importance of social support and the need the practise new skills to cope effectively with change and loss. The program focuses on issues such as self-esteem, managing feelings, problem solving, decision making, effective communication and support networks. Jason Buckland (Chaplain) and Jane Savage (Counsellor) have been recently trained as Seasons for Growth Companions, and are looking forward to the opportunity of facilitating this program. If you think your son or daughter would benefit from Seasons for Growth we would encourage you to talk to him/her about participating in the program. St Martins Lutheran College is pleased to be able to offer this important program and we are confident that it will be a valuable learning experience for those who request to be involved. If you require further information please contact either Jason Buckland (chaplain@stmartins.sa.edu.au) or Jane Savage (jsavage@stmartins.sa.edu.au).

PEER SUPPORT NEWSLETTER ITEM SESSION 1

In Week 10 of Term 1, 20 of the Year 11 Peer Support leaders spent a day at Cape Bridgewater on the Year 8 Camp, as the

start of the Peer Support program. The Year 11s went on the long scenic walk with the Year 8s and held their first session with

them in the afternoon. It was a great way for the Years 8s and 11s to interact and begin to get to know each other.

During Term 2 all Year 8 students will continue to be involved in the Peer Support program. Each week, groups of 8-10

students will meet with 2 Peer Leaders and work through a range of activities that will focus on resilience. Meeting in small

groups allows meaningful connections to form, assisting students in their transition to Year 8. Over the term students will

acknowledge their strengths and achievements, identify people who support them and learn how to view challenges as an

opportunity for growth.

For additional reading and resources to support your child please visit the parent tab on the Peer Support Australia Website. www.peersupport.edu.au

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REMINDER FOR PARENTS

Please use the pedestrian crossings in the carpark at drop off and pick up times.

WINTER UNIFORM GUIDELINES GIRLS COLLEGE TARTAN CHECK KILT OR COLLEGE NAVY PANTS OR NAVY COLLEGE SHORTS BLUE COLLEGE SHIRT. COLLEGE TIE NAVY V-NECK JUMPER (OR YEAR 6 OR SENIOR JUMPER IF APPLICABLE) NAVY TIGHTS OR NAVY SOCKS/COLLEGE SOCKS/WHITE PLAIN SOCKS BLACK SCHOOL SHOES (BUCKLED OR LACED TO YR 6, LACED ONLY YR 7-12)

BOYS

GREY COLLEGE TROUSERS (NO CORDS OR CARGO) OR GREY COLLEGE SHORTS (NO CARGO)

BLUE COLLEGE SHIRT. COLLEGE TIE NAVY V-NECK JUMPER (OR YEAR 6 OR SENIOR JUMPER IF APPLICABLE) GREY/COLLEGE SOCKS/WHITE PLAIN SOCKS BLACK LACED SCHOOL SHOES (VELCRO OR LACED TO YR 6, LACED ONLY YR7-12)

SMLC WINTER JACKETS MAY BE WORN WHEN OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM

SHIRTS TO BE WORN TUCKED IN AND TOP BUTTON DONE UP WITH WINTER UNIFORM.

TIES TO BE ADJUSTED TO FIT NEATLY AROUND THE NECK—

WE NOW HAVE A NEW STYLE OF ADJUSTABLE TIE AVAILABLE OR WE HAVE FOUND THAT IF YOU REMOVE THE THICKER BIT OF PLASTIC FROM THE EXISTING TIES AND TIGHTEN THE ELASTIC AS NEEDED THEY FIT MUCH BETTER.

PLEASE DO NOT MIX FORMAL UNIFORM WITH SPORT UNIFORM.

A SINGLET CAN BE WORN FOR EXTRA WARMTH BUT MUST NOT BE VISIBLE. A LONG SLEEVED SKIVVY OF ANY COLOUR IS NOT ACCEPTABLE UNDER A SHORT SLEEVED SHIRT.

NAVY SCARVES MAY BE WORN IN WINTER.

The Year 10 Food and Nutrition students are doing a unit of work on Indigenous Cuisine. Last week of Term 1 they were learning about different types of meat that Indigenous peoples used and how it is used today. They researched Macro Meats, specifically the K Roo products and processes that are undertaken before kangaroo meat ends up in the supermarket. The students made a meat lovers pizza adding in marinated kangaroo steak and sliced roo sausages.

It was a good experience for them to both learn about and try Indigenous foods, but with a contemporary twist. Jeanie Axton

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YEAR 10 FOOD AND NUTRITION

GOLFING SUCCESS

On Sunday afternoon, 4 students (Ben, Thomas, Mitchell and Seth) took the bus with me to attend the State Secondary Schools Team Stableford Golf Competition at the North Adelaide Public Golf Links. They were to be joined the following morning by Jade and Nicole who flew up after finishing their other sporting commitments.

The students each completed 18 holes of the South Course, and their individual Stableford scores were tallied with their team members to come up with a final team score. The team of Nicole, Ben and Thomas finished third on the day, with the top five teams coming back to compete in the final on June 4th. Unfortunately the team of Jade, Mitchell and Seth missed out on fifth place by one point, finishing 6th. The students acquitted themselves well, even when things were not going their way (as sometimes happens in golf) and no clubs were harmed in the course of the day.

A long bus drive back then ensued and the students (and I) were happy to see the College finally in view around 8:30pm.

Best of luck to Ben, Nicole and Thomas, who will be representing SMLC at the State final on Monday June 4.

Jason Buckland

On Friday 4th of May the Year 10 Humanities students went on a tour of the RSL museum to conclude our studies on World War Two. The museum is a fantastic source of many war artefacts and helps to create a sense that what the students are studying and learning about is real and not just something in a textbook. Seeing the artefacts and listening to the stories from the men at the RSL helps the students to connect with the information on another level. It is also important for the students to connect with the local community and see how the war has affected real people that live or lived in their local area. After the tour of the RSL museum, students went to the war memorial at Vansittart Park where they were met by RSL President Bob Sandow, who spoke about the symbolism behind the Soldier’s Memorial. The students then conducted their own memorial service to pay tribute to past and current service men and women of Australia and to honour those who have fallen in battle.

Connie Ferraro

HUMANTIES STUDENTS VISIT MOUNT GAMBIER RSL

GRIP LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

On Thursday 3 May I attended the GRIP Leadership Conference at the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre, along with 10 of our Year

6 student leaders.

The conference is a high energy day for the students with lots of opportunities for involvement in fun activities, as well as the

provision of practical and relevant information about ways to be an effective leader in a school setting. Students are

encouraged throughout the day to mix with student leaders from other schools, and to share ideas about what happens at St

Martins as well as learning about the activities that happen at different schools in the region.

All students who attended the conference represented the College extremely well, participating with enthusiasm and

confidence. This year was especially interesting for the students as the power went out at the theatre at one point, and so

much of the conference happened in the dark! What a fun experience.

The students who attended the conference will be encouraged to utilise what they learnt, to pass on this information to other

SRC members and to continue to be open to opportunities to be leaders at St Martins. Many of the ideas from the conference

will be incorporated into our SRC Leadership Day, held later in the year.

Jane Savage School Counsellor

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ST MARTINS SPIRIT— SPOTLIGHT ON COMPASSION

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Compassion

The St Martins community demonstrates kindness and service to others. We are open and responsive to the

needs of others, reaching out and actively caring for those in need.

Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

ATHLETE’S FOOT SUPPORTS ST MARTINS

At the conclusion of Term 1 the Manager of Athlete’s Foot visited St Martins and presented a cheque for $350. This cheque was the result of St Martins families purchasing shoes from Athlete’s Foot in 2017.

Remember when you make purchases at the Athletes Foot to mention St Martins—each pair of shoes purchased (they don’t have to be school shoes—runners count as well— represents a $5 donation back to the school.

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CAREER CORNER

VET. It’s Right Now and the Real Skills for Real Careers initiative

Very recently, the Career Industry Council of Australia and the Australian Government launched a campaign to highlight the importance of vocational education and training (VET) for future work.

Sometimes VET (as it is commonly referred to) gets a bad rap. Depending on your perspective (and controversially I might add!) it can be seen as the slightly less glamourous or in some cases, less desirable cousin of higher education. But there are some compelling reasons to consider VET as this campaign shows:

Vocational Education and Training covers 7/10 fastest growing jobs.

More than 77% of VET graduates are employed after training.

The median full time income of a VET graduate is $55,000.

Any training that helps young people get transferable skills or technical skills will help give them a leg up into the world of work. Also, it’s often hands on training, you can see and experience results sooner rather than later and it’s a good way to get a taste of something you think you might like to do. Importantly, there is no longer a one or the other decision to make – many students successfully combine vocational training with school even if they are considering a University option later down the track. If you are an interested parent, you can get more info on vocational education and training at https://myskills.gov.au/career-info/advising-on-careers/ .

Linda Polomka

Career/VET Coordinator

SCIENCE CLUB

Science Club continues to be a well supported after school

activity.

Recent attendees had this to say -

“I really enjoyed science club last time - we looked

through microscope at plants and stuff. Then Mrs Shaughnessy brought out some slides with bugs

on them. It was really cool looking at

bugs I looked at a bee head. “ From Alexander Lynch

Comments from Flynn Hillstone: “Science club was good because we got to see parts of bugs up close. They look really weird and amazing!”

Comments from Jai Hillstone: “It was really good to use the

scientific microscopes.”

Austin - “I had a great time looking at lots of different bugs and learning how to use a microscope .”

Jessica - “I had fun discovering up close what bugs and other things look like under a microscope and how much detail you could see. “

Next week's science club (on Thursday 17th of May after school 3.30 - 4.30 in the upstairs lab) is about dinosaurs. Sorry, we don't have any real ones to experiment on!

Thea Shaughnessy

LIBRARY NEWS

Book Club Issue 3

is out now Due back

Wednesday 16th May

CORRECT AT TIME OF PUBLISHING—SUBJECT TO CHANGE

YOUR LIBRARY NEEDS YOU

Are you available at 12:45pm – 1:45pm to:

Play cards

Help with Art and Craft

Help Build

Assist with Technology

OR

Can you come in after drop off or before pick up to:

Put books on shelves,

tidy shelves

or replace displays

Help make your school Library a place of inspiration, fun and discovery.

Half an hour a week can make all the difference.

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Term 2 Calendar

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